Expiration Date
by Enula
Summary: They say true love doesn't have an expiration date. But what do you do when your true love has been with someone else for seven years? This is Isabella's journey as she accepts the things she cannot change and learns that her best chance at happiness lies outside of Phineas. Sometimes it's best to let go of the person you used to be. Ferbella.
1. My So-Called Life

_**Full Summary: **They say true love doesn't have an expiration date. But then your real true love will make you realize your first true love wasn't really your true love. Then what? At 17, Phineas got his first girlfriend. Isabella has lived with this reality for seven years. But when suspicions arise that she could be cheating, Isabella's willing to go above and beyond to prove to Phineas that he should have chosen her. Oh, and she recruits Ferb's help along the way. Ferbella? YES. _

* * *

**Expiration Date**

**I.**

I threw a twenty at the cab driver as I stepped out of the yellow car that smelled like cigarettes and cheap cologne. Why can't they ever smell like air fresheners? Those little trees are stupid cheap; make me feel like I'm lost is the forest for half an hour!

I walked into the bar. What was it called? Thorny Rose? What kind of name was that, anyway? Whatever, I'm not here to judge. I'm here to forget. It's my night of forgetfulness and I'm not going to let it get ruined because of a corny bar name.

Flipping my dark hair over my shoulder, I made my way to the bartender. He was shaking up a drink for another girl, but I sat down and instantly demanded a Tequila Rose. It was my signature drink for many reasons. One: it was pink. Something about pink drinks just did it for me. Two: tequila was my best friend on nights like this, because it got me to where I needed to be quicker than anything else.

"New here?" I hear a voice next to me ask. I turn to see a young man. He was handsome enough…in a juvenile way. He probably just turned twenty-one.

"Yeah…is it that obvious?" I faked my nervousness. I bit my bottom lip as I blindly reached for my drink; I heard the bartender set it on the bar. I stirred my drink with the straw in a delicate fashion, staring at this boy as though I was a damsel in distress.

He grinned at me, "Just a little. That's okay, this is a friendly place. So what's your name, beautiful?"

I see he's going straight for the compliments. Good.

"Laura," I lie to him, because he's no one that's going to be important in my life.

His smile grew as he held up his whiskey, "I thought you looked like a Laura." Liar. "My name's Zack."

I giggle with a fierce falseness, "Funny, you don't look like a Zack," I flirt as I slowly bring my lips to my straw. Oh, how badly I just wanted to throw this drink down my throat…

"Oh yeah?" He leaned in closer and I could smell the alcohol on his breath, "What do I look like then?"

"Someone I've met before." Another lie. I needed to make him believe I was interested. It's working.

"Someone…good?" I watched his eyes burst with desire as I downed my drink and leaned toward him, showing off my goods, courtesy of my V-line dress.

I smirked when his eyes could no longer find mind; "Very good."

Three hours later I was lying naked in his bed. He was fast asleep now, so I was free to dress myself and leave without any questions. I snuck down his stairs and exited the house quietly, though I doubted he'd wake up after what I just put him through.

I searched for a street sign that was within a reasonable enough distance so that I could see it in the dark. Packard. That worked. I tried calling a cab. Three times. No answer. Seriously?! It was only two in the morning, don't cabs run all night? Whatever. Guess I'll have to depend on one of my friends.

Ginger? No answer. Gretchen? No answer? Shit…Adyson? No answer. Why doesn't anybody keep their phones off silent in the middle of the night?!

I scrolled through my phone. My eyes caught Phineas' name; I felt my eyeballs follow the name until it was off my screen. No way was I calling Phineas! He was probably sleeping soundly with…

I sighed loudly into the night as I pressed Ferb's name and held the phone to my ear. I felt terrible, because he was the one that picked me up last time, but is it really my fault he's the only one that answers his phone in the middle of the night?

The phone stopped ringing and I heard slight static. I knew Ferb picked up even though he didn't say anything. He never says anything when he answers the phone.

"Hey…it's me. I'm sorry to wake you, but do you think you could pick me up?"

"Where are you?" I heard the slumber in his voice, though he tried to keep it low and neutral.

"Packard?" I said in a questioning tone. I looked at the street sign again to make sure that's what I was reading.

I heard the high-pitched squeak of his bed as he got out of it, "Keep your phone on. I'll locate your destination and be there shortly."

"Thanks, Ferb! You're a lifesaver!" Then I hung up before he could respond.

I wasn't 100% sure where I was at, but I figured it would take Ferb about thirty or so minutes to get to me, so I went back to What's-His-Name's house and sat down on the front steps. At that moment, I was glad it was summer or else I'd be freezing in my sleeveless, low-cut, pencil-shredding's thin dress.

Summer. The word itself brought back a flood of memories. Like…building a rocket, discovering something that doesn't exist, or creating nanobots…or going on an un-romantic cruise, feeling sad in the city of love, or…

Whatever.

I looked at my phone. I had a picture of Phineas on my screen…he wasn't looking at me…when I took the picture, he was looking at someone else, but I made sure to cut and edit what I didn't want showing up on my phone.

The "what" being some blonde, namely, Scarlett.

Scarlett.

How could such a pretty name be so ugly? How could anyone hate such a name?

* * *

_"I heard there's a new babe coming to school," Buford announced one fine morning._

_"Are you sure? I have heard no such thing," Baljeet countered, grabbing his four math books from his locker._

_"No, I heard about a new girl, too," Phineas countered, which caused me to blink my eyes in confusion, because very rarely was it that Phineas heard anything about anything unless it had something to do with what he had planned for the day, "I don't know why everyone keeps talking about it, though. Why is everyone so excited about a new person coming to school?"_

_Ferb leaned against the lockers and propped one foot up against the metal, "No doubt they're expecting her to be attractive."_

_I rolled my eyes, "Please, I'm sure she'll be just like every other girl here."_

_"So you are saying you are like every other girl here?" Baljeet asked._

_"No! I'm the exception because…because I hang out with _you _guys," I replied, despite it sounding pretty pathetic._

_"Isabella's got a point," Phineas chimed in, "She's more like one of the guys."_

_I instantly felt Buford's, Baljeet's, and Ferb's eyes flit away from me, as all three of them knew I was wounded by those words. _

_"Right…" I said dryly, because at this point in my life, at seventeen years of age, I've kind of become numb to comments that have been slapping me in the face for years. _

_"There she is!" Buford pointed down the hall behind me. _

_I turned a little too quickly, feeling just a bit too eager to set eyes on the girl that would ruin my life. And I could tell…I could just _tell _that she was so faking that slow walk down the hall. Why take such exaggerated steps anyway? And that golden blonde hair that she flipped perfectly over her shoulders? What, did she think she was in some corny teen movie or something?_

_But when I turned back to my friends, I saw it instantly. Not only were Buford and Baljeet visibly drooling over this girl, but I saw Ferb trying to act nonchalant as he kept glancing at her, and Phineas…_

_Phineas was actually oogling her. In that moment, I saw something I never thought I'd see: Phineas noticing a girl. Not for being "one of the guys." Not for being "one of his best friends." But for being girl. An attractive girl. I saw curiosity in his eyes and amazement in his 'O' shaped mouth. _

_What just happened to my oblivious, late-to-puberty, girls-are-not-a-different-sex Phineas? What happened in that second it took this girl to walk into our lives that I couldn't get to happen for seventeen years?_

_And most importantly...where was it going to go from there…?_

* * *

Flash forward six years. Here I was, a twenty-three year old, sitting on the front steps on some guy's house in which I just happened to have a one-night-stand (though it wasn't my first and certainly won't be my last) waiting for the love of my life's brother to pick me up so I didn't have to find my way home in heels.

The younger me would be so proud…..

I saw the headlights before I actually heard the car, but walked to the edge of the sidewalk so Ferb would be able to see me when he came around the bend. I watched as the red, two-door Chevy Corvette slowed to a stop in front of me, allowing me to jump in and be glad to forget this night ever happened.

One of the best things about having Ferb pick me up is that he never talks. He doesn't question me or what happened that night (though I'm sure it's purely due to the fact that he knows very well what I've done that night and chooses not to hear about it) and I'm free to daydream in a safe environment.

Daydreams were dangerous though, because they made me wish for things I could never have.

Poof. There went my work for the night. Going home feeling just as empty and unsatisfied. But that was life.

"How was your day, Ferb?" I asked in an uncaring way as I stared out the tinted window that made the night look even darker.

"Just dandy," he responded in the same uncaring way. I could hear the disconnect in his voice, which meant he didn't want to discuss his day with me when he knew I didn't want to discuss my day (or night) with hm.

I didn't even nod in acknowledgement. I just rested my forehead against the cool glass. I felt disgusting, but nothing a hot shower and a thirteen-hour sleep wouldn't cure.

I suddenly longed for my royal purple body pillow.

We were quiet the rest of the way home. I hardly mumbled out a thanks as Ferb let me out in front of my house. I pushed myself out of his car and slammed the door behind me, listening to the beautiful engine drive away into the night as I made my way up the sidewalk to my modest little home. I silently thanked whatever God was listening that I didn't have work tomorrow. And that Ferb wasn't at work. Because what if he was off constructing another building half way across the world tonight? What would I have done?

I made it into my house and kicked off my shoes somewhere down the hallway. I don't know how, but I managed to strip off all my clothes between the front door and my bathroom, so about time I turned the faucet on, I was ready for that harsh spray on my already abused body.

Though I tried to ignore the thought, I couldn't help but remember that tomorrow was Sunday. Which meant it was Phineas and Scarlett's Sunday Barbeque. That's right….I had to deal with going over _their _house every Sunday for steaks and socialization.

Why do I do that to myself, you ask?

Simple. To stay close to Phineas. So _when _the day comes that he and Scarlett break up, I'll be there for him. It's been seven years. It has to happen soon now…right?

I almost wished I wouldn't have slept with Zane, or whoever he was. From what I remember, he was pretty cute…I could have brought him as my barbeque date. Phineas ended up liking the other guys I brought on random Sunday's, but maybe he would have hated this guy. Then he would have shown his protective side for me and told Zilch to…

Oh, who am I kidding? Phineas gets along with everyone…

_Guess I'm going solo again…_

I couldn't wait for the water to wash me clean so I could just fall into a dead sleep. That's the only thing I was aiming towards since six pm yesterday.

Just to get up and do it all over again.

...

...

...

...

* * *

My first P&F story, yay! And it's going to eventually be a Ferbella, because...well, HigherSilver brought me to this side so I don't know what else I would do? I wanted to take a moment to point out a few things with this story:

The main relationships will be slow-paced, but it may seen like everything else is fast-paced. I started the story in the middle for a reason, though I plan on incorporating a lot of flashbacks, some of which will hint at clues to certain attractions that will develop in the future.

Also, I'm labeling this story with a T, but I might very well bump it up to an M, because content may get a bit more M-ish. Basically.

And another thing: I'm in no way a P&F expert. I literally just started watching the show 2 weeks ago. I kept it playing on Netflix as I did random stuff around the house. What I'm trying to say is this: if I misconstrue the characters in any way, this is why. Though I feel like I know them well enough. This may not be the Isabella you see on the show, but what 23 year old is like how he/she was as a preteen (I know I wasn't)?

Another another 'nother thing: This story seems like it can have the underlying tones of being dark and depressing, but I'll still have classic P&F humor in here. Plus, I'm taking an the challenge of writing Phineas with a girlfriend, so this shall prove interesting.

Didn't mean to make the AN long. Please review! Tell me what you think and I promise the next chapter will back-story and explain a lot more.

_-Enula_


	2. Sunday Barbeque

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**Expiration Date**

**II.**

"Hey, Phineas. What'cha doin'?" I ask this with the utmost inflection I could muster to really put my flirt out there. I come in through his white picket fence (it's not really white, more like a light green, but it still seems perfect to me because I would give anything to live in that light green wooden fence with Phineas) carrying a bottle of Apothic Red wine. Cheap, I know, but I was going to be sharing with a lot of people.

"Just getting the steaks on!" Phineas replied enthusiastically as he dropped a few red pieces of meat on the grill, the rest still piled up high on a cracked black plate.

Phineas of course didn't notice my tone, but I suppose it was just as well since I saw Scarlett slipping out of the sliding glass doors of their wonderful home, "Phineas, where's the corn we bought yesterday? I need to wrap them in foil so we can get them on the grill soon, too."

I visibly glared at her, though she took no notice, or chose not to. I've known this bitch (I'm sorry, that just came out) for seven years now and I still don't know if she's as oblivious as Phineas or not. When Phineas first started to have her hang out with us, she tried to become my BFF. Like…really tried. I honestly don't know why, it didn't seem like we had anything in common.

Such as…

I liked pink (not as much now, the color just reminds me of heartbreaking times) and she liked some sort of duck poop green color, I'm not even really sure what to call it. And she likes disco. I remember once when she tried to show off her love of disco…by doing some dumb dance where she shakes her hips and points to the sky every few seconds. Anyone could've done it. Whatever. It was weird.

And she's afraid of dogs! Something about getting attacked by one when she was younger. She probably deserved it. Oh, and she hates video games. _What?! _She tried to act all into them before when Phineas mentioned anything about video games, but the truth finally came out.

She didn't know a lick of science. She was a literature nerd…in college, she majored in English and Communication and now she's a Research Assistant. I dunno, to this day, it still sounds like a useless job.

I mean, I work as the Community Director directly under Mayor Doofensmirtz. I do stuff for the community! What does she do besides read through other people's theses and theories?

"We didn't buy the corn, remember? You said all the cobs looked chewed up," Phineas responded to her.

I smirked. Scar-(on my life)-lett: zero. Me: one. Every time I saw her, I kept track of how many times she made a fool of herself compared to me.

"Oh…" she looked surprised. Who the hell forgets something like that when it apparently happened yesterday? "Well, what else are we going to serve with the steak, then?"

"Isabella brought wine," Phineas pointed out, smiling in my direction.

I instantly changed my tune when that smile came my way. I help up the bottle with a little shimmy, "Got the good stuff!"

Scarlett showed a small smile, "That's great, but we also have small children coming…"

"…What?" I questioned, lowering the bottle to my side, "You mean Candace is bringing the kids? I thought she was taking them to Jeremy's parents this weekend?"

"She picked them up early," Scarlett said, probably all-knowingly.

Scarlett: one. Me: one.

"It's cool," Phineas chimed in, "I'll call Ferb and tell him to bring something," he started digging in his pocket for his phone, but I got so nervous that he would get stuck talking to Ferb amd I would be stuck with Scarlett, so I quickly offered to call him.

I went over by the gate as the phone rang, and knew he answered as soon as the ringing stopped.

"Ferb, Phineas wants you to pick up side dishes…corn, potatoes, whatever. Oh, and don't forget the small bottle of poison. Enough for one steak, ya know?" I mumbled into the phone, checking over my shoulder quickly to make sure no one else was listening.

"How abysmal," Ferb commented dryly, but then added, "Are we talking liquid or dehydrated poison?"

My laugh came out quick and loud, "Whatever you think will go best with steak. I trust your judgment. And please get here fast! Being here with just these two is awful!"

I hung up the phone and walked back to Phineas, but I was starting to feel awkward carrying the wine around, "Want me to go pour you a glass?" I asked him, hoping we could have a drink together.

But I wasn't surprised when he said, "Nah, I'm good. I'll take a bottle of water, though."

Why doesn't he ever drink?!Seriously, I think I've seen Phineas take one sip of alcohol before he swore off it. What was he so afraid of? If anything, it could help with some of his grand ideas.

"No problem," I answer as if I had no care in the world. I walk toward the perfect yellow house with white siding and slam the sliding door open to reveal the kitchen. I made Scarlett jump from the counter, which made me smirk noticeably.

"Sorry" I apologize in a non-apologetic way, "Didn't think it would open so fast."

She gave me a dumb smile, "It's okay." I shrug and walk toward the cupboard I know hides glasses. If I didn't get something to pour this damn drink in soon, I was just going to drink from the bottle. Everyone else be damned!

They didn't have any wine glasses, so I used a normal cup. It was plastic and it probably would kill the overall effect, but whatever. I still threw the first pour down my throat then promptly began pouring the second round.

"So, Isabella?" Scarlett began from the opposite side of the room, "Phineas is going to be leaving Tuesday afternoon…did you want to do something on Wednesday with me?"

Phineas is a top notch computer science expert which often times causes him to travel to other cities, states, or countries to help set up new systems or fix a difficult problem no one else has been able to solve. Ever since Phineas got this job a few years ago, Scarlett's been randomly asking me to hang out with her while he's gone. It's only happened twice. And that's only because Phineas asked me to do it. But both times sucked.

"I have to work Wednesday," I answered bluntly before drinking my second cup.

"When you get off work, then?"

"I have to work Thursday, too."

"I don't plan on staying out late Wednesday. We can just grab dinner or something?"

"Something…" I said slowly, pouring myself another cup while admiring the deep red coloring that flowed from the bottle that hid such beauty.

"What?" she asked with a confused tone. What a dumb blonde…

Scarlett: one. Me: two.

I think?

I drank my third cup of wine before turning toward her, "I'm busy," I said simply. Seriously, how long does it normally take a person to take a hint?

I suddenly heard excited shouts from outside and politely (if not snootily) excused myself. And as soon as I stepped out of that dreadful house, my whole countenance instantly changed.

"Amanda!" I yelled with delight, watching as the red-headed eight-year-old turned in my direction and smiled a big grin that showed she was missing a few baby teeth.

"Aunt Isabella!" she screamed before running at me as fast as her scrawny legs could carry her and throwing herself into my open arms.

I don't know what it was, but having this child, Candace's daughter and Phineas' niece, hugging me made me feel more human than anything else in my life.

As I hugged her tight, I snuck a peek over at Phineas to see if he was watching. He wasn't. Even though I had no one to show off for, I still gave this small girl all my love, "I've missed you so much! How's your summer vacation going?"

"Okay," Amanda answered in an almost lying way, "Except Xavier and Fred wake up way too early and I can't sleep in!"

I looked over at Candace and Jeremy, seeing them holding a three-year-old Xavier and a two-year-old Fred, respectively.

"I can't even imagine how annoying that must be!" I said with over-exaggeration, but perfect tone for an eight-year-old.

"_So _annoying!" She might as well have been talking about the most important thing in the world, so I nodded as seriously as I could. But I saw her instantly turn shy and grasp my hand. I turned to see Scarlett coming outside now. Normally loud and outspoken Amanda meekly whispered, "Hi, Aunt Scarlett…"

Scarlett smiled at the young girl, "Hi, Sweetie, how are you?"

Amanda only shrugged.

_That's my girl…_

Over the next half hour, Buford and Baljeet showed up, followed by Ferb with the rest of the food.

I instantly went over to him with a grin the size of Texas, "Did you get the goods?"

"Don't I always?" he answered quite arrogantly.

I elbowed him in the side playfully, "I always knew you hated her as much as I do."

"Hate it such a strong word," he replied as he took the perfect looking potatoes and corn-on-the-cobs out of the paper shopping bag, "I prefer dubious."

"For you or me?"

"You, of course."

I grinned, "You give me too much credit." He only gave me the "behave yourself" eye before he reached Phineas and handed him the rest of the food, quickly getting caught up in Phineas' conversation.

I looked around. Phineas and Ferb. Candace and Jeremy. Buford and Baljeet. Amanda, Xavier, and Fred. That left only…

I looked around for Scarlett. I decided I was going to have dinner with her Wednesday. Maybe she would let me know if she and Phineas were having any relationship problems. I would just _love _to give her bad advice. And I may even find an opening for me to sneak in.

"Oh, Phineas doesn't seem as happy anymore?" DONE.

Seriously, why can't she just say those words already?

I made my way toward the house as I aimed to get another drink. I would probably need at least one more shot to make this acceptance sound believable. When I stepped into the kitchen, however, I heard Scarlett talking lowly in the next room. I didn't mean to eavesdrop, honestly I didn't, but as I made my way toward my bottle and cup, I couldn't help but hear:

"…and Phineas is gonna be leaving Tuesday around noon, so maybe we could meet later in the evening?"

What's this? Scarlett making private plans? I didn't pay close attention until now, but why _did _she invite me out Wednesday instead of Tuesday? I moved my alcohol a little further down so I could be closer to the living room.

"Right…yeah, he won't be back until Saturday or Sunday. Switzerland…yeah, he goes there a lot. Me?" Scarlett giggled, "No, he doesn't invite me. It's all business to him…"

I almost snorted, but held it in as I silently poured my drink into my silly cup. _His job _is _business, obviously!_

I wanted to listen more, but got interrupted (and nearly jumped out of my skin) when Ferb appeared next to me.

"Did you drink half that bottle already?"

I glared him from the corner of my eye as I took a slow slip, "Not all at once…"

"Your liver will surely suffer," he reminded me, and not just because of this wine bottle. But because of the last few years.

"Maybe the pain in my liver will take over finally?" I threw back my wine.

I knew he knew what I was talking about…

_It had been a few weeks since Scarlett had been hanging out with us (as in, Phineas, Ferb, Buford, Baljeet, and myself). I swore I'd never get used to another girl always hanging around. But it wasn't just that she was another girl…she was clearly Phineas' girl from the start._

_Somehow, Phineas was able to get Buford, Baljeet, and Ferb to not look at her _in that way _anymore and he literally had her all to himself. I didn't understand why she entranced him so much…for one, she was clumsy and tripped over everything (and that included nothing), and two, she said "like" just a little too much. Not in a valley girl way, but it still had to stop._

_Anyway, I was a witness for the first time Phineas asked a girl to go out with him. Yeah, it wasn't just me. Al of us, including Gretchen, Ginger, and Holly, were there to see this phenomenon. And I swear, when Scarlett yelled her damn "YES" into the sky and kissed my Phineas on the lips, about three-fourths of my very being died. But when I turned away to see Ginger staring at Baljeet, Holly staring at Buford, and Gretchen staring at Ferb, I knew what they were thinking:_

_"If Phineas got a girlfriend, what does that say about the rest of us?" Basically, it meant that we were all pretty pathetic. And wanted any boy that would say yes._

_Lucky for me, down the road a bit, Holly quickly got over her infatuation with Buford, Ginger and Baljeet were very "together/not together," and Ferb politely turned Gretchen down._

_Lucky for me? I don't know why I said that, I don't even know what it means. But I suppose I do know how I was lucky. When Phineas and Scarlett left to go on their stupid date, I sat under the infamous tree in his backward and cried into my knees. Because I had apparently been waiting all my life for nothing. Because my life obsession was suddenly pointless. Because the love of my life was smitten with a girl he'd only known for a few weeks._

_But when I finally looked up, I don't know how long it took me, but I saw all three girls lying in the grass near me, Baljeet sitting cross-legged in front of me, Buford sitting a bit further back from everyone, and Ferb crouched down right next to me. All of them knew the pain I was feeling and stayed by me until I got over it._

_Only problem was….I never got over it. Because my true love was in love with someone else and there was nothing I could do to change that. _

_"Why doesn't Phineas love me?" I asked Ginger one day._

_"He does, he just doesn't realize it yet."_

_"Why doesn't Phineas love me?" I asked Gretchen one day._

_"I guess you're just not his type?"_

_"Why doesn't Phineas love me?" I asked Buford and Baljeet one day._

_"Because he's in love with a blonde babe," Buford answered._

_"Because you are his best friend," Baljeet replied._

_"Why doesn't Phineas love me?" I asked Ferb one day._

_"I'm not quite sure."_

_For Ferb to be the only one to admit this, and to be just as confused as myself, made me burst into tears in front of him, "Then what should I do?!"_

_Ferb put his hand on my shoulder and looked me straight in the eyes, "Never give up hope."_

_And so I didn't. _

But seven years later, I had to wonder…

"Oh! Hey, guys…" Scarlett said in a way-too-guilty way as she came into the kitchen, "What's going on?"

"Nothing," I answered quickly, pouring more wine in the cup and pushing it at Ferb's chest, "Just getting Ferb a drink."

Though I was staring at Scarlett, I felt Ferb take the cup out of my grasp, commenting in a low voice, "Nothing like alcohol in the middle of the day…"

She smiled softly, "Sweet. Well, the food should be done soon, so come back out to eat!" She seemed to rush out into the fresh air of her backyard.

I instantly turned to Ferb, "I think Scarlett's cheating on Phineas!"

If this were a comedy, I'm sure he would have spit his drink out. But this was real life and he merely narrowed his eyes at me as he swallowed the wine I gave him.

"I overheard her on the phone with someone! She's making plans to meet with this person as soon as Phineas leaves on Tuesday!"

Ferb handed me the cup, "Has anyone ever told you that you jump to conclusions?"

"Has anyone ever told you that you talk too much?"

He raised an eyebrow at me, and even I had to question where I was going with that, but I didn't care at the moment, "Ferb! We have to catch her in the act so we can tell Phineas!"

"I'm not sure where you're going with this _we…" _he slowly observed.

"Where I'm going with it is this: make sure you're free Tuesday afternoon. We got some spyin' to do."


	3. Lunch Date

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**Expiration Date**

**III.**

"Damn it! She's not cheating on him…"

I mumbled this very line to myself multiple times the next day as I sat behind my stained wooden desk cluttered with letters and other random papers. I leaned all the way back in my swivel chair to the point that I was looking out the window behind me.

I jumped to conclusions the day before, just as Ferb said, and now that I was sitting here with time to truly consider what I heard from Scarlett's conversation, there was really nothing to go off of. I was clearly looking for an opening that wasn't there.

Hearing a small tap on my door, I sat upright and tried to make it look like I was actually doing something…by picking up a pencil, "Come in."

And in walked Kelly, a junior in high school who was interning with us. She was very petite and quite meek, and she always spoke as if she was profusely apologetic for interrupting anyone at any time. She stood in my doorway with a pile of folders against her chest—I don't think she ever really needed to carry those around with her; I'm pretty sure they just make her feel at ease so she's never empty handed.

"Excuse me, M—Is…" she mumbled off in a way that became incomprehensible. This is mostly because she always wants to call me Ms. Garcia-Shapiro, but I keep insisting she call me Isabella, "the mayor wants to know how the plans for "Finally Summer Day" is going?" she said it with an upward inflection at the end.

Right. June twenty-first was coming up in a few short weeks and I still had a lot to plan. A few years ago, the mayor came up with this great idea to have the whole Tri-State area throw a big bash in celebration of Summer Solstice, aka the longest day of the year. Every year I came through, but that was mostly because I tried recreating that fateful summer solstice day when I was still ten-years-old and Phineas took me around the world. I thought that if I really made it seem like a crazy reenactment, Phineas would remember how close we were and open his damn eyes!...

But it never worked. Sure, he remembered Tokyo, Paris, the island…but he relayed all these memories to Scarlett as if it were just another one of our crazy summer days.

I sometimes wonder…was it my fault? Am _I _the one that turned Phineas away from me for good? All because I wouldn't accept him admitting defeat and watching the sunset with me? Why couldn't I have just kept my mouth shut and enjoyed that damn sun with him? Why? Because then he would have lost the bet to Buford? I pressed pause (and then eject) on my life because of a bet?!

Anyway, so you can imagine why my heart just wasn't into it this year. Sure, I would do my best to make it an awesome day (because that's my job), but will I put my very being, my soul, my _life _into this event? No, no I won't.

"Ms…"

"Yes! I mean…tell the mayor that I'm putting the finishing touches on everything now and it should be ready for review in a few days," I inform her.

She flashed the largest smile she could muster at me, "Right! Thank you!"

Then she was gone and I figured I should start working on this festival thing…

But then I looked at the clock and realized it was almost noon. Lunchtime!

I pulled out my cell phone and flipped to Phineas' name. Today was going to be the day I called and asked him to have lunch with me. No big deal, right? I mean, who said it was illegal to have lunch with an old friend, even if said friend had an exclusive girlfriend? Just because he was dating someone now didn't mean I still couldn't be his best friend.

I said to myself for seven years now.

Still, I was feeling in a more-than-usual uncaring mood right now, and my finger was hitting the call button before I had time to think.

"Hi, Isabella!" Phineas yelled into the phone, making me wish I was happy to hear this, instead of flinching because I knew that Scarlett now knew who he was talking to.

I chuckled nervously, "Hey, Phineas…what'cha doooin'?" I punched myself lightly in the head. I seriously gotta get out of that habit.

"Packing for my trip tomorrow and creating a toothbrush holder that cleans your brush during long trips when they're packed away for long periods of time. The relative humidity inside a carryon bag can range from sixty-five to seventy-five percent, depending on location and season. So—."

"Hey, so look at that, it's lunchtime, did you want to go grab a burger or something with me?" I broke in, because I knew if I let Phineas continue, it could last my whole lunch period.

"Yeah, that sounds great! I'm sure Scarlett's getting hungry, too, let me just ask her if that's what she wants to do," I heard him take the phone away from his ear as he yelled, "Hey, you wanna grab lunch with Isabella?"

"_NO!" _I screamed before I could stop myself. I hoped no one ran into my office to check on me.

"What was that?" Phineas asked.

"I mean…" I sighed inwardly and squeezed my eyes shut, "Sorry, I just remembered I had other lunch plans, maybe another time, okay? Bye!" Then I hit the end call button as many times as I could and with as much force as I could gather. Then I slammed my face on my desk.

Why…why…_why…WHY!?_

Ugh, all I wanted to do was have a nice lunch with Phineas…and _just _Phineas. Was that so much to ask!?

My stomach growled. But that still didn't mean I wasn't hungry. I haven't eaten since I had that steak yesterday, and it's been a continual bad habit of mine to skip breakfast.

I sighed and, without picking up my head from my desk, called Ferb. As soon as the ringing stopped, I spoke: "Hungry. Get lunch?"

"Speaking caveman now?" he inquired.

"At No-Veg Café," I respond without answering his rightfully asked question, "Ten minutes."

"See you then," he said before hanging up.

I also hang up, sigh, and finally lift my head. I wouldn't have invited anyone but if I didn't then I wouldn't have had the motivation to get lunch, which would have made me starve the rest of the day, which would have sucked.

* * *

"Hey, Ferb," I greet him as soon as I sit down at the outdoor table he saved for the two of us, "Hopefully I didn't pull you away from anything important?"

He shook his head as he took off his sunglasses.

"Good. So what have you been doing all day?" I knew very well that he had probably been up for the last six hours. I still don't know how he can get up so early on an off day.

"Going over plans for my next project."

"When's that?"

"June eighteenth."

My shoulders slumped, "You're kidding, right? But the Finally Summer festival is June twenty-first!"

Just like how Phineas' job required him to travel at random times, Ferb's job was the same. Except instead of computer science like Phineas, Ferb was (what else?) an engineer. A very famous engineer. He's been known to oversee some of the most complex buildings and other crazy things all around the world.

He started twiddling his thumbs on the tabletop, which I knew was his concerned/nervous gesture, which meant that he knew I could probably have a meltdown any second. I felt ashamed that he thought I would, it was just…I didn't know what I would do at the festival without him. Especially near the end of the day when the sun was just about to set under the horizon. For our festival, it was basically like counting down for New Years. All the couples kissed, friends hugged, people cheered, and so on. If it wasn't for Ferb watching the sunset with me, I'd be too busy watching Phineas and Scarlett…

"You'll be back in time, right?"

"I'll try to be," he tried to reassure me, but I knew very well that his assignments could sometimes take him away for months at a time.

I felt horrible for making him feel at all bad; after all, it's not like it was one of his responsibilities to make sure I'm not pathetic and lonely. I put on a fake smile I knew he saw right through, "So where you going this time?"

"California."

"Oh…well, at least you're staying in the states this time, right?" I laughed shortly. Not like it mattered; whether he was in California or China, if he was working, he wouldn't make the festival.

He nodded, though, and then the waitress came over and took our drink orders. It took all of my will power not to order a beer. Ferb and I were silent until our drinks came. He took a sip of his iced tea before saying, "So about this spying thing…"

"Oh!" I waved my hand as if the whole idea should just disappear, "Forget about that…I don't know what I was thinking."

I watched him visibly relax. But just as quickly as this happened, he stiffened again, "Speak of the devil…"

My heart dropped before I even turned around to see what he was looking at. Even so, I turned around in my chair to see Phineas and Scarlett (dressed oh-so stylishly in a green sundress) walking towards us.

"Hey guys!" Phineas waved vigorously while pulling Scarlett along with his other hand.

I turned back to Ferb and I felt like puking. My throat was dry and my nose was stinging because if there was one thing I hated seeing more than Scarlett, it was Scarlett with Phineas. And sure, I go over their house every Sunday, but I can always count on there being a lot of people to talk to…and my own alcohol.

Ferb gave me a look that visibly said, "You'll be fine," and it appeared that I didn't have a choice in the matter.

"Isabella, when you said you had lunch plans with someone else, I didn't know you meant Ferb. Scarlett and I still would've came," Phineas sat down in the empty chair to my left and Ferb's right, "It's a good thing Scarlett suddenly wanted to go to this place, though, right? We wouldn't have run into you guys otherwise."

I felt rather annoyed when Scarlett stayed standing between Phineas and I instead of just taking the seat on the other side. What, just because they were dating they had to constantly sit beside each other?!

Apparently, Ferb realized that neither of us were going to move, so he moved to the chair on my right with an indignant sigh. Scarlett finally sat down across from me.

"So guys, what'cha doooin'?" Phineas asked in a me-sorta-way.

"Just talking about Finally Summer Day," I respond shortly.

"That's right! That is coming up!" Phineas exclaimed enthusiastically, "So what kind of fun do you have planned for the festival this year, Isabella? Another 'Around the World' theme? Or another island theme? Let me know if you need any help building anything special—Ferb and I will be deee-lighted to help!"

Ignoring the second half of his speech, I replied, "I'm doing an Alaskan theme."

Scarlett cocked her head to the side, "Why Alaska…?"

"Because it's cold and empty," I say icily and with a glare. I felt Ferb lightly kick my foot, but when I snapped my gaze over at him, he appeared to be drinking his tea and minding his own business.

"Actually," Phineas piped up, "An Alaskan theme sounds like a great idea. During the summer solstice, Alaskans can see the sun standing still for three to four days because the sun rises and sets in nearly identical places before continuing its race around the horizon. Can you imagine three to four days of a stand still sun? All the stuff we could do?"

Some things never change…hearing Phineas talk like this must have put me in a daydream, because I didn't even realize I was leaning toward him with my chin in my open palm, my eyes glazed over with desire, until Scarlett cleared her throat and grabbed his hand.

"I agree," she contributed, "I can help you get props and whatever else you need, Isabella."

I rolled my eyes and looked down, "I have everything covered."

The waitress finally came back, asking in a rather annoying way, "And what would the other couple like to drink?" to Phineas and Scarlett. I glanced over at Ferb and we both shared a small a grin, because a waitress assuming anything such as that was always amusing.

The "other" couple ordered their drinks and we all ordered our food. I already knew that I would have to get my food to go as soon as it came, because my lunch break was almost up.

But then Scarlett's phone started ringing and when she pulled it out of her bag, she automatically stood up from the table, "Excuse me, I have to take this." She walked a small distance away from the table before answering it.

I looked over at Ferb again, and though he didn't even look up from his drink, he was shaking his head at me.

Whatever. I couldn't pass up this opportunity.

"Gotta go pee!" I stood up quickly and snuck behind a small pillar close to where Scarlett was standing. I was so glad Ferb was facing me instead of Phineas, because who knows how sneaky I would have had to have been then!

It was almost hard to hear her because of how crowded it was, but I heard certain things like, "Why are you calling me _now_?" and "I _told_ you when I'm free," and "Yes, me too."

And just like that, all my suspicions came flooding back. Because when I have my heart set on something, I become obsessed.


	4. Fajitas and Mojitos

**.**

**Expiration Date**

**IV.**

"So Phineas leaves tomorrow morning."

A simple statement. One that occurs often enough due to Phineas' job requirements, but it feels different this time. Like there's a ray of hope that will happen because of him leaving. It'll give Scarlett a chance to do whatever she going to do, and give me a chance to catch her, thus giving Phineas and I the opportunity that never…

I looked over to the stove when I heard loud sizzling. Ferb decided to make steak fajitas, so lucky for me that I chose to stop by to go over the plans for our spying game tomorrow. I was sitting on one of his barstools at his kitchen island, running my hands over the smooth marble surface. I always wanted to put one of these in my own kitchen.

My eyes glazed over as he began cutting up onions and peppers to throw in the skillet. I put both my elbows on the table (so ladylike, I know) and cradled my chin in my palms, "I wonder what Phineas and Scarlett do on nights before he leaves…"

"I'd prefer not to ponder those kinds of thoughts," Ferb answered shortly.

It should have been humorous, and I suppose if we were talking about anyone else I would have at least grinned, but I sadly only felt my heart quenching.

"I mean, Phineas doesn't seem to do anything romantic with her…is he still oblivious to certain…things?" I wonder aloud, much to my (and probably Ferb's) dismay.

Ferb threw all the veggies into the skillet and tossed all the ingredients around to allow the flavors to blend.

"Then again, he _has _been in a relationship for seven years now. I don't think anyone can stay oblivious to much after the first year." Not that I would know. I never made it past date number two with anyone, "I wonder if she…" I trailed off, not really wanting to go down that road, "Well, the good thing is, once Phineas finally notices me, I probably won't have to teach him anything."

Leaving the skillet on the flame for a moment, Ferb turned around to me and sat down on a stool on the other side of the island. And he just stared at me. And after about ten seconds, I groaned and hid my face in my hands, "That sounds completely pathetic, doesn't it?"

"I didn't want to say anything," came his response.

I spread my fingers to peek at him. To this day, I don't know how Ferb has been able to put up with listening to me talk like this. Most of my Fireside friends distanced themselves a bit from me over the years because they simply got sick of hearing me go on and on and on and on.

I'm sure Ferb got sick of hearing it, too, but he also has this weird thing where he doesn't need to talk so he doesn't get annoyed when I'm constantly talking over him.

"Pepper jack cheese?" Ferb asked.

I sighed, "Yes, please."

He turned back to the stove. I stared blankly out the window, "I might need to go out tonight."

"It's a Monday night," he reminded me.

He knew I usually tried to wait until the weekend to take care of my mindless rendezvous, but I couldn't stand sitting here alone while imagining what was going on in the house down the street…

"I just…I just need to be doing the same thing," I said desperately, "Or forget what I'm doing. I don't know!"

Desperation. That's what it's been forever now. They say there's five stages to depression. The first stage is pure sadness. You're very aware of what's going on and it's just so damn heartrending when you don't have the power to stop it. Seeing the love of my life with someone else pierces my heart like nothing else has ever done, and probably ever will. This stage, for me, lasted about the first eight or so months that Phineas started dating Scarlett. I was prone to random crying sessions and public displays of embarrassment.

The next three stages are desperation, anger, and frustration. I've been ping-ponging these three back and forth for the last six or so years. I seem to have my moments for each one.

I still remember the moment I got over my first stage.

* * *

_Baljeet, Ginger, Ferb, and I had just got some slushies at a new slushy stand that just opened up, called Slush-O-Rama, and thought it would be a wonderful idea to help us cool down. We had just sat down at a holey table (you know the ones with connected holey benches that leave really irritating marks on your legs if your shorts are short enough?) to enjoy our icy goodies when, lo and behold, Phineas and Scarlett come strolling by. _

_They didn't see us, but once everyone at my table spotted them, they quickly turned to the center of the table and rushed to make conversation._

_"We should go swimming after this," Ginger suggested, "Do you think your mom would mind if we used the pool, Isabella?"_

_"That is an excellent idea!" Baljeet overemphasized, "We should all walk to our houses so we can get our swimwear."_

_Ferb gave the idea a thumbs up._

_But despite them trying their best to get me out of there before salty tears ran down my cheeks and ruined my slushy, I couldn't help but stare at the happy couple. Seeing her wrap an arm around his waist. Seeing her grab his arm and wrap it around her. Seeing them spot the slushy stand and point joyously at all the flavors and laugh at probably nothing._

_My friends, along with myself, were then surprised when I didn't choke up, but rather, narrowed my eyes and popped my Styrofoam cup from squeezing it so hard. My nails went right through the flimsy material and I could feel the sticky substance in the slushy run down my fingers. I heard the light dripping as the liquid hit the hot pavement, and though it was a waste of a perfectly good slushy, it kept me from doing the same thing to _something else _and ending up in jail._

_Ferb took my cup and threw it away before handing me some napkins, "Would you like to go scream underwater?"_

_He knew just what I needed. I stood up with my three friends and went to do just that._

* * *

"I have Tecate in the fridge," Ferb told me, now in the process of putting the fajitas together, "Or frozen mojito mixes in the freezer."

I stared openmouthed at him, "You'd share your alcohol with me?"

"Well, it's either that or you'll be calling me at three in the morning, asking to be picked up."

I should have blushed but only ended up laughing as I jumped from the table, "Touché." I opened up his freezer and saw he had four mixes in there, "I'm making you one, too, right?"

"I suppose one can't hurt. And it'll go great with the fajitas," Ferb got two plates as I got two glasses. I was secretly hoping that drinking here still wouldn't spark my desire to go out and find a random guy, because I knew drinking didn't make me forget about Phineas, it only kind of dulled my smartness about it, if that makes any sense.

So we ate our delicious meal and the mojitos turned out to be surprisingly strong, so about time I finished my second one, I was on a giddy high and prompted Ferb to go outside to his pool and have a few more drinks with me. He agreed, but probably only because he knew I would go out to the pool even if he didn't, and he didn't want to have a drunk girl drowning unknowingly on his property.

But as luck would have it, I didn't feel like jumping in the pool (good thing, because I didn't bring any extra clothes), so we both just sat on the side with our feet in the water. I was holding my third mojito and he had a bottle of Tecate beside him. He was laying back to look up at the dark sky as I stared at the lighted water.

"So it's probably about midnight," I spoke first (nothing new there), "Do you think they're asleep now?"

"Yes," he said confidently.

I grin back at him over my shoulder, "You're just saying that so I'll go to sleep, too."

"Not at all."

Then all of a sudden, all the alcohol hit me at once and I felt myself getting drunk as I took another long sip from my glass, "I don't think he really loves her. If he did, he would have asked her to marry him by now. Seriously, who dates for seven years and doesn't get engaged?! I think she's tired of waiting, too. That's why she started cheating on him when he's away. But if she's so tired of waiting, why not just forget about him?"

"Why not ask yourself the same question?" His voice swam around in my wispy head for an elongated moment as I tried to process what he was saying.

"Oh, ha-ha, Ferb," I said sarcastically, "For your information, I'm not _tired _of waiting, I'm _infuriated _of waiting." Whether this made sense or not, I didn't care, "And my waiting is a completely different kind of waiting than her waiting."

When he didn't say anything, I turned around to face him. This brought my one foot out of the water and I felt the cool summer night air on my sensitive skin, "Ferb, all those years ago, when I asked you what I should do, you told me to never give up hope. I'm really trying here, but sometimes…" I choked up. I wasn't drinking in my normal bar setting where I have other distractions and no one to talk to about this stuff, and it was bringing out that pure sadness stage.

Ferb quickly sat up, "When I told you that, I simply meant to never give up hope that someone else will love you. It had nothing to do with waiting for Phineas to suddenly have romantic feelings toward you."

Hearing him say this should have changed my whole perspective on things, but it just didn't. It may have been my drunken mind, but his words had very little impact on me.

"How come you…" I trailed off, averting my eyes away from his and down to my glass that was half empty. I could feel him staring at me, waiting for me to continue. "How come you've put up with me all these years?"

He grabbed his drink and took a short sip, "I wouldn't call being there for a friend something I've _put up with."_

I ran my finger around the rim of the glass, "Do you think I choose bad ways to cope?"

"I'm not here to judge."

"I'm not asking for you to judge, I'm asking for your opinion."

"As a wise Buddhist monk once said, 'The amount of happiness that you have depends on the amount of freedom you have in your heart'."

I burst out laughing in a drunk sort of way, "_You _say some deep shit, you know that? All this talk about freedom and hearts…"

Ferb shrugged and took another sip of his beer, and for some reason, seeing this made me feel terrible. Did he think I was mocking him? Because if I was, my true, sober self didn't mean to. I know he was only trying to help; that's what he always tries to do for me.

Sadly, I whisper, "I can't just unlove him, ya know?"

He nodded in understanding.

I sighed deeply, "I don't know how I'm going to be able to wake up in the morning…"

"I'll make sure you get up," he offered.

I nodded, "Thanks…and you're still meeting up with me tomorrow afternoon to…" I wanted to go ahead and say "spy on Scarlett" but even thinking it sounded so wrong.

He understood anyway, "I suppose."

"You're the best," I drank down the rest of my glass before going to stand up. I was pretty wobbly and had a hard time measuring the distance between the ground and my hand, but then I saw a hand reaching down to help me up.

And just like he's done for the past seven years, Ferb helped me up off the ground with a strong steadiness.

"Are you coming to bed, too?" As soon as the words left my mouth, I started laughing and my arms swayed, my body feeling like it weighed nothing, "Oh my God, I can't believe I just asked you that!"

Without answering, he turned and walked in the house and I was able to follow with minimal problems. I set my glass in the sink and walked toward his guest bedroom. I was fairly familiar with it, and I'm pretty sure I'm the only one that's ever used it. So when I spotted the readymade queen-sized bed, my heart soared as I flopped myself down on the sheets.

"See you at seven," I heard Ferb call from the hallway.

I tried saying, "Goodnight, Ferb," but it came out so jumbled it was hardly intelligible.

I sniffed the pillow and the familiar scent told me that I've been here before, but it had a different smell than the pillow at my own house, because it was Ferb's pillow, so it was a strange mixed fragrance. But it was the most comforting aroma in some weird way and it made me fall asleep immediately.


	5. A Date?

**.**

**Expiration Date**

**V.**

The time: 5:56 PM, Tuesday. The place: Phineas and Scarlett's house. Well…across the street anyway. Hiding in my car. Waiting for Scarlett to leave for her secret date. Her car was still in the driveway, so I assumed she was still at home.

"What if her date picked her up…?" I said more to myself, yet still wanted a response from my partner in the passenger seat. When I didn't hear anything, I turned and was met face to face with a large blueprint. I gently pushed it down, "Ferb, are you listening?"

"Always," he replied, beginning to fold up the blueprint perfectly.

I watched his skill in amazement, "Is that what you're leaving to build next week?"

He nodded.

"Hm. Maybe I _should _let you study that over. That way you can hurry up and finish it so you're back in time for Finally Summer Day."

Ferb finished folding the blueprint and put it in my glove box. I turned back around just in time to see Scarlett leaving the house, "_Oh my God, _she's finally leaving!" I ducked down in my seat out of instinct and watched her walk to her car in cute aqua heels and a medium length casual red dress.

"Interesting color choices," I commented, hating how attractive she actually was and how I couldn't ignore that despite how much I disliked her.

She got in her car and backed out onto the street pretty quickly so I assumed she was running late. I started my own car up and began following her after giving her a few seconds head start.

Ferb and I drove in silence for a couple moments, but I couldn't help but feel slightly awkward because I knew he didn't want to be here with me doing this.

"So…I'm making a bet that she's meeting a guy named Chris at an upscale coffee place. Scarlett knew Chris from high school before she moved here but never got the chance to tell him how she felt before she left. Now she's making up for lost time," I grinned at Ferb, wondering if he liked my theory and if he would offer up his own.

His eyes shifted over to me before staring straight ahead again, "She's meeting an old friend named Amy to catch up."

My shoulder's slumped, "Well that's no fun."

"Just trying to not get your hopes up."

I bit the inside of my cheek to keep myself from snapping. I understood it was terrible, me hoping that Scarlett was cheating on Phineas, but I was running out of options.

Thankfully, Scarlett got to where she was going fairly quickly, and I wasn't too surprised when she ended up parking in the Downtown Danville area, the same place we all met up the day before for lunch. I parked two isles over from her, hopping out of the car when I saw that she jumped out of her car and headed toward the sidewalk and down the street while busily texting on her phone.

"Here we go!" I said a bit too excitedly, half running half skipping after Scarlett. I turned around and began walking backwards so I could talk to Ferb. He was walking with his hands in his pants pockets, a look of reluctance clearly written on his face, "Ferb, what's wrong?"

He caught up to me, "Don't you feel at all strange for spying on Phineas' girlfriend?"

I flinched, "I'll feel strange if it turns out she's not cheating…but if she is, we're doing Phineas a favor, right?"

He shrugged and I began wishing that I would have done this alone, because Ferb was making me rethink this whole ordeal and I didn't want to feel like that!

Turning away from him, I rounded a corner and caught Scarlett about thirty feet in front of us still walking with a purpose. I stopped abruptly, however, when another woman grabbed Scarlett's arm, making the blonde finally look up from her phone. It was an obvious and instant recognition between the two as they both yelled excitedly before hugging each other. They began talking quickly.

"Looks like an Amy," Ferb commented from beside me.

"We…we don't know if _that's _who she planned on meeting," I said with not much certainty. Truth was, I was conflicted because I really didn't know what I wanted to see anymore. Even if I caught her making out with another guy, how would I break that news to Phineas? Would he want proof? So should I whip out my phone and take millions of pictures? Or would that look too suspicious on my end? What would I do if he accused me of lying and then wanted nothing more to do with me ever again?!

Scarlett's friend pointed down the street in my direction while still looking at Scarlett, seeming to ask a question. I watched as Scarlett looked behind her for a quick second, checked her phone, then nodded. They instantly turned in our direction and began walking toward us. In a panic, I grabbed Ferb's arm and pulled him into a tight space between two buildings. Without even thinking, I slapped a hand over Ferb's mouth to keep him from making any unexpected noise in case he didn't see them coming and thus didn't understand why we were hiding.

My chest rose and fell quickly, because it just seemed _way _too embarrassing to be caught by Scarlett in the first few minutes of my little spying game. But that's when I realized what I was really doing.

Ferb was much taller than me, so I had been staring at his chest as I tried to catch my breath, but when I looked up to his face, I couldn't help but grin. He was staring at me with a "_Really?" _look because I felt the need to cover _his _mouth up to keep _him _quiet. You know, because he was such a talker…

I let out a short chuckle at the irony of it but then really started to laugh. I laughed at everything about this situation...attempting to spy on Scarlett, finding her meeting up with a friend, wondering if she spotted me, and then panicking and hiding Ferb and I in a tight space while attempting to keep _Ferb _quiet.

I retracted my hand and covered my face, my whole body shaking against his as I laughed and laughed. I pressed my head back against the side of the building and looked at Ferb, glad that he was smiling and found this amusing as well.

"Hey, guys."

As soon as I heard this, I stopped laughing and turned to see Scarlett and her friend standing there, smiling in confusion.

"What are you doing?" Scarlett asked.

"I…we…we were just…" I stumbled over my words as my mind went blank.

"We were planning on having a drink when she realized she forgot her ID," Ferb offered for me.

"Hilarious, right?" I added.

Scarlett kept her confused smile, looking back and forth between us, "Okay…well, hey, we're still on for dinner tomorrow night, right, Isabella?"

"Dinner. Right. See you around six," I said quickly, wishing she would just go already.

"Okay, see you then. Hope you guys still get your drinks. Bye!" She waved, her friend waving in courtesy as well. As they walked away, I heard her friend say, "They're so cute."

I looked up at Ferb, still seeing a smile in his eyes, "How about that drink?"

He nudged his head to the side, silently saying, "Let's go," but I hesitated leaving our safe little space.

"Sorry about dragging you out for this…" I apologized, feeling like this was a huge waste of time and effort.

Ferb shook his head, "It was worth it."

I cocked my head to the side, "It was?"

"I haven't heard you laugh like that in a long time," he said sincerely and I immediately felt myself blush. I looked down and pushed my hair behind my ear, mumbling out a quick, "Thank you…" I slid out sideways, suddenly afraid to brush up against him, but once I got back out onto the sidewalk, I became my old self again.

"We're in luck! I didn't forget my ID!"

* * *

The next night after work, I prepared myself for my dinner with Scarlett. I didn't know if I was planning on finding out any new information or not, but it definitely wouldn't hurt if it came up.

I arrived at the restaurant a little late, mostly because I really didn't want to be there, but also because I wanted her to have to sit there by herself for awhile. You can imagine my disappointment then when we got there at the same time.

"Oh, good," she said with relief, "I was really worried I was going to keep you waiting."

I wanted to ask what held her up, but bit my tongue and figured I would bring it up casually later.

But as soon as we were seated and ordered our drinks (I got wine, she stuck with water), she entwined her fingers on the table and leaned forward with a smile, "So how was your day, Isabella?"

"It was…" I was going to answer simply, but something in the way she was smiling at me made me start to feel uncomfortable, "…fine. Yours?"

"Really good, got some research done, wrote a bit for my next paper, cleaned the house so when Phineas gets back everything's in order," she rambled on as if I was interested in every little thing she'd done that day, "He should be back by the seventeenth in case you're wondering."

I tried to act nonchalant as if I _wasn't_ wondering, "That's the day before Ferb leaves."

Scarlett's smile grew bigger as she sat back and unfolded her napkin, being way too obvious in my opinion, "And how are you two?"

Something about the way she said _you two _really got on my nerves, "I'm sure he's doing just as fine as I…"

She glanced at me then waved her hand, "Okay, I'll come right out and ask. Were you two on a date yesterday?"

"_What?!" _I couldn't help but yell just a little too loudly. I looked around, noticing only a few people turned to stare. I leaned forward and practically glared at her, "Why would you even _think _that?"

Messing around with her napkin, it was apparent I made her a little uncomfortable, "Well, I just thought…that's why you guys were hiding…because you didn't want anyone to know yet…"

I raised an eyebrow, "If it were true, why wouldn't I want anyone to know?"

Her smile grew again, "So it _was _a date!"

"No!" I grumbled something I didn't even know. Scarlett was just as oblivious as Phineas if she thought I liked anyone else besides Phineas. And she _had _to have known I loved Phineas, right? That's why she's always trying to keep me close (keep your enemies close!) and interrupting every time I'm talking to Phineas alone.

"But you wanted it to be," she said, almost as if she was saying a statement for me instead of asking if it was true.

"What!? No!" I screamed again, because truth be told, I was _not _expecting this type of conversation to arise and it was a bit unnerving. I took a sip of my wine that just got put on the table. I had to think of something to say that would get her to back off, but before I could truly evaluate my next statement, out came: "I like Ferb too much to date him."

I flinched as soon as I realized that that just piqued her interest even more, "Do explain."

I drank more wine, really wanting this conversation to stop, "Never mind, I don't know why I said that. It's stupid."

"No, no…I think I understand completely," she offered.

I almost choked on my drink, "Huh?"

"Well…" she shifted in her seat, looking like she was ready to enter psychiatrist mode, "Ever since I met you guys, the two of you always seemed super close. So it's okay to be scared that a deeper relationship might ruin what you have. Actually, that's quite healthy. You're not just jumping in blindly and considering—."

"Hahaha," I laughed falsely, "Yeah, all that sounds great but it's not true…"

She smiled softly, "It's nothing to be ashamed about, Isabella…Ferb's a great guy."

I was really getting upset by this point, because there's nothing I hate more than people making their own assumptions about stuff they have no idea about, "If he's so great, why aren't _you _with him?"

Scarlett looked taken aback by such a question, "Wha-…'cause I'm with Phineas…"

I rolled my eyes, "Yeah, so let's talk about that. How are you and Phineas?" I asked, taking another sip of wine as I prepared myself. But before she could say anything, the waiter came to take our orders. I was glad she didn't forget my question after he left, however, and answered as if we didn't get interrupted.

"We've been good," she grinned and leaned forward again, looking like she was about to spill a secret, "Honestly? I've been dropping hardcore hints that I want to get married."

I really shouldn't have been drinking at this point, because I was about to spit the liquid all over her face if I didn't swallow quickly and start choking.

"Oh my God, are you okay?!" Scarlett stood up quickly, ready to take action in case I passed out.

I held up my hand though, putting a napkin over my mouth. The last thing I wanted was for her to touch me…I'd rather die.

She slowly sat back down, unsure if she should stay on her side of the table or not, but I finally caught my breath by clearing my throat. Then I went right on talking as if it didn't happen, "So…marriage, huh?"

Staring at me strangely, she started off slow, "Yeah….but," she giggled, "you know how Phineas is. He can be a bit oblivious, so I might have to step up my game."

I forced a laugh, "Yeah, his obliviousness can be kinda annoying, right?"

She smiled gently, "Actually, it's one of the things I find most endearing about him." I must have looked shocked, because she giggled again and twirled her hair around her finger, "Strange, right? Most girls would find that habit a bit disheartening. They find it annoying or hard to be with a guy that doesn't know what she wants or doesn't get why she's feeling a certain way. But with Phineas…it's good, because it makes me talk about things because I know I _have to_…which makes me want to. So when I'm done talking about whatever it is, not only does Phineas have a better idea of what I want, I do, too."

I stared at her, irritated and amazed at the same time. The one thing that always annoyed me most about Phineas, the thing that made him who he was however, was the thing that Scarlett loved the most. I hated thinking that she loved him any more than I did, and I was trying to ignore that little voice inside my head telling me that it may be true.

"But don't you get tired of dropping hint after hint after hint and him still not being aware?" I asked her incredulously.

She shrugged uncaringly, "Sometimes, I suppose. But I've been giving him marriage hints for the last three years now and the challenge is actually kind of…exhilarating. It gives me time to daydream about the moment he'll finally get it."

I get it. That's why she's never given up on him. Because she's waiting to see if he finds out on his own. And I wondered…is that my reasoning for never giving up on Phineas, as well? Because I needed him to figure it out first? It sounded so stupid, yet so…true.

She must have mistaken my melancholy look, because she instantly changed her demeanor, "But w_hen _it does happen, I'll ask you to be my maid-of-honor," she paused before adding, "Because I know Phineas will make Ferb his best man," she laughed and winked.

I couldn't even force a fake smile. I looked down at the table, not even looking up to thank the waiter when he set my food in front of me.

Scarlett certainly didn't sound like someone who was cheating on Phineas. And maybe…maybe it was for the best. She sounded like she was…perfect…for him. And I supposed she must have been doing something right for them to continue dating after seven years.

And yet…

This still didn't make everything instantly better. Phineas was still the guy I loved all my life. He was still the one I'd give anything to be with. And Scarlett was still the one that ruined my chance at that. She was the one that got in the way and never left.

I hated her even more when she gave me no other reason to hate her.

.

.

.

_Hey everyone...sorry for the delay on this chapter. I'm a super busy person so it's often hard to find the time to sit down and write a decent chapter. BUT...last Sunday, I drove down to see my parents (took 4 hours). This meant many things...that I was on vacation from work, that school was out for winter break (thus no homework), I had in home 24/7 baby-sitters, and I didn't have internet to distract me. So I actually got to chill out and push out a few chapters. Here's one of them!_


	6. Dinner and a Movie

**.**

**Expiration Date**

**VI.**

During the next few weeks, I buried myself in my work. I had Finally Summer Day to worry about and didn't want to think about any shenanigans Scarlett might be up to. I managed to find my way home on the weekends without bothering Ferb. I didn't know why, but ever since that day we attempted to spy, I was leery about him seeing me at my worst.

That still didn't stop him from coming over to my place or me going over to his place during the week. I told him all about what I had planned for Finally Summer Day in case he really would end up missing it, and he told me (sorta) about his upcoming trip to California. I never brought up what Scarlett and I talked about that night at dinner, because then I felt like I would have been admitting that there's absolutely no reason to break up Phineas and Scarlett.

The night before Ferb was scheduled to leave was the same day that Phineas returned. Ferb told me that Phineas wanted to barbeque despite it not being a Sunday so they could catch up with each other, but informed me that I was more than welcome to join (since Scarlett would be there, undoubtedly). It was for this reason that I decided to turn down his offer.

I felt like shit the whole night as a result. I felt like I gave up my two best friends to another girl just because I didn't want to be around her. Jealousy is a hard pill to swallow, but alcohol certainly isn't. I was _smart _enough to buy my own so I wouldn't have to go out on a weekday and worry about getting back at a decent time.

It just happened to be my luck that _City of Angels _was on TV, so I knew I would be able to get a good cry in tonight if for no other reason. I had to admit it was nice just lounging around in my pajamas while I got my drink on instead of having to get all dressed up.

I was about halfway through the movie when there was a knock on my door. I groaned loudly and sunk down from my sitting position on the couch. I assumed it was Ginger or Adyson or one of the other Fireside girls because it would be just like them to visit when I didn't want any visitors. I looked over to the door and saw that I left it unlocked. Which meant that whoever it was might just come in even if I didn't get up to let them in.

"It's open!" I yelled, drinking the rest of my rum and coke.

I heard the door open and close before I actually looked up to see who it was…and was quite shocked to see Ferb standing there with a plate of food.

"Ferb!" I rolled over in an attempt to stand up quickly but ended up just rolling off the couch and onto my face. I tried to pick myself up, but stumbled a few times in the process and it felt like the alcohol was swishing around in my brain to make it impossible to control my body.

Once I finally got control of myself, I stood straight and tried to pat my hair to get rid of whatever frizz was there, but then became aware that I was just wearing light pink pajama shorts and tank top, so I reached for my afghan and wrapped it around myself.

"What are…what are you doing here, Ferb? I thought you'd be at Phineas' all night."

He walked further into the room and set the plate of food down on my coffee table, "Phineas was ready to call it a night. Figured you might be hungry."

I stared down at the plate that held a chicken breast and asparagus wrapped in bacon. Then I noticed my empty glass toppled over on the floor, the ice that was leftover spilt on the carpet. I quickly got down on my knees and attempted to put the ice back in the glass, but I couldn't seem to grasp any of the cubes.

To put it simply, I was making a complete ass of myself.

"_City of Angels. _Classic Meg Ryan. Though I prefer _When Harry Met Sally _myself."

I looked up to see him watching the movie and not me. This helped me relax and simply push the cubes into the glass. I walked it into the kitchen so I wouldn't have to look at it anymore. When I made my way back into the living room, Ferb was still standing there watching the movie. I kept close to the couch, even going so far as sliding over the arm of the couch before squeezing myself in the corner, "You can sit down if you want."

He turned toward me, his stance a little intimidating as he stared down at me with his hands in his pockets, "It doesn't look like you want company."

"Yeah, I don't," I said before I could stop myself, "I mean, I _didn't! _I mean…I didn't when I thought it was someone else…I didn't think it would be you. I want company when it's you," I blushed at how that sounded, quickly grabbing the plate of food to concentrate on eating for a moment.

My heart started racing when he sat down at the other end of the couch. I was trying to figure out what the hell was wrong with me; I've been drunk plenty of times and I never acted like this.

The flavorful food filled my taste buds and almost made me wish I was at the barbeque so I could have tasted it when it was fresh off the grill. But it was Phineas' first day back and I didn't want to see Scarlett show how much she missed him.

Thinking of Scarlett reminded me of our dinner outing the night before and I suddenly laughed. I didn't turn to face Ferb as I started speaking, "You wanna know what Scarlett thought we were doing yesterday?"

"Going on a date," he answered bluntly.

My eyes shot toward him, "How'd you know that?"

"She asked me about it at the barbeque."

"What?!" I threw down a piece of bacon, "That little—I already told her that we weren't! Why'd she have to go and—wait, she asked you about this in front of _Phineas?!"_

Ferb shook his head, "He went inside to get drinks."

I blinked, "So it was just the two of you outside?"

He nodded.

"And then she just asked you if we were on a date last night?"

"Something like that. She said that it looked like you weren't telling her something last night."

I laughed bitterly, "Yeah, that she's an idiot."

"I reassured her that you probably told her all there is to know."

"Then what she say?"

"She didn't. Phineas asked me to help him inside."

My shoulders fell like I just released a two ton elephant, "Thank God…I was thinking the conversation was going to get much worse than that…"

I picked up another piece of asparagus and began chewing on it. I was about to drop the discussion when I noticed something different about Ferb's silence. It was thick and lingering, and very much unlike his usual calm silence. I happened to spot his eyes flit from me to the TV screen, and I dropped my food once again, "Spill."

When he didn't say anything right away, my curious mind couldn't help but start guessing, "Scarlett told Phineas this ahead of time and Phineas was asking you about it?"

Ferb didn't answer at all, so I automatically assumed that's what it was. I flung my head back against the couch, "Damn it! Years and years of trying to get Phineas to realize I love him, and then he goes and thinks that I—."

"Phineas is planning on proposing to Scarlett at the Finally Summer Festival."

Nothing….

And I mean nothing…about that sentence was good.

I felt like crying. I felt like screaming. I felt like throwing up, breaking everything in the house, and drinking myself into oblivion.

How dare he…How dare Phineas plan something like that on a day that I worked so hard to make perfect for everyone…

Phineas spent his whole life remaining oblivious to my feelings for him. I could forgive him for that. He started dating Scarlett and broke my heart over and over again. I could forgive him for that. But if he ended up proposing to her in four days…

I put the plate on the coffee table calmly before I stood up. I slowly looked around at all the things on the walls and on tables and wondered where I was. Was I in some sort of nightmare that required me to do something drastic to escape?

"Hey."

I turned toward the voice…Ferb's voice…and when I saw him standing close yet oh so far away from me, I said, "Phineas is proposing…and you're not going to be there…"

He sighed, "I didn't want to tell you, but I didn't want you finding out when…"

I gave a short nod in understanding. I was in too much shock for my drunken mind to handle and I wondered if this was what complete numbness felt like. I couldn't help but just stare at him…or through him, and when my next words slipped from my mouth, those couldn't be helped either: "I'm going to hug you now."

Strange how, after all these years, we never hugged each other. At the most, it was a pat on the back and a quick sling of the arm around the shoulders. There were very few times I actually needed a hug, and when I did, one of my girl friends were around.

Without waiting for me to walk into his embrace, he closed the gap between us by taking those three steps and wrapping me up. His one hand circled around my back, but his other hand found its way to the back of my head. He pushed gently yet firmly until my face was hidden in his chest. That hand felt so strong, I could've sworn it was the thing that kept me in one piece. It was the one solid thing I could feel at the moment and I became frightened that I would float away if he ever let go.

My arms hung limply at my sides, I was vaguely aware of _Iris _playing in the movie, and I assumed I would have been okay if I died in that moment.

Before I even realized it myself, I was stepping away from him and feeling around on myself, "My phone. I need my phone." Of course, I was in my pajamas, so there was obviously nowhere for me to keep my phone, so I must have left it on the couch. But when I didn't see it sitting on a cushion, I instantly freaked out and tore all the blankets and pillows off.

"What are you doing?" Ferb asked, but I refused to answer until I found my phone. Thankfully, it had just fallen in between the two cushions and, thanks to the vibrant pink color, I was able to spot it quickly.

"I'm calling Phineas. I have to tell him that he can't—." But before I could start pressing buttons or finish my sentence, my phone was snatched away from me; "Hey! Give it back!"

Ferb shook his head as he held my phone above his head. To reach it would be a challenge even if I jumped. Even so, I was enraged enough to try. I stood as close as I could to him before my hopping started, my fingers just grazing his wrist.

"Why are you doing this to me?!" I accused him as if he was dangling me over a cliff. I felt too dizzy to continue jumping and felt the tears swell up in my eyes. If I didn't tell Phineas now, I might never get the chance again. And I didn't want to be that person that crashes a wedding by being the one to speak so I wouldn't forever have to hold my peace. No, this needed to be done before any of that crap.

"I don't think you should be doing something like this when you've been drinking," he told me, his arm not wavering a bit.

I put my hands on my hips in defiance, "It's the _perfect _time to do something like this! I can just let it all spill out without reason holding me back."

"But then how would you feel tomorrow?"

I shrugged, "Depends on how he responds."

Ferb gave me a look that showed that he _knew _Phineas' response was not going to be what I desired. A tear slid down my left cheek but I angrily wiped it away with my palm, "I have to at least try."

"Not tonight."

"But I—."

He held up his free hand to shut me up. I stopped and stared at him for a long, hard moment. I was so glad I wasn't crying hard so I didn't look like a complete mess in front of him. Finally, I nodded slowly in agreement and he trusted me enough to lower his arm and hand my phone over. I considered running from him and still making the phone call, but I didn't want to risk Ferb not trusting me.

I glared at the ugly device in my hand before asking, "So what time do you leave tomorrow?"

"Early. Around eight."

I looked at the TV to see _City of Angels_ still on, "Want to finish watching the movie with me?"

Ferb nodded before sitting down again. I turned off the lamp before almost cowering in the corner of the couch again, wrapping the afghan back around my body. I only watched the movie for a few seconds before turning towards him, my knees pulled tightly to my chest.

"Ferb?"

He turned his head toward me.

"I don't think you ever answered me the other night when I asked you…why do you even bother with me?"

He blinked before turning back to the TV. I was used to these kind of responses (or lack thereof), so I was undeterred.

"I mean…you have so much going on. You have a great job, you get to travel, you're a genius, and quiet and…and just everything _not me. _I'm just some dumb girl that only hung out with you as a kid because I loved your brother. I guess I'm just wondering…" I trailed off, not quite sure where I was going with this, and it didn't seem like he was about to answer me; "It's just weird…how you became my best friend somewhere along the way…"

I felt myself heat up and wished I could push the blanket off of myself, but I didn't feel like I was wearing enough to sit here in the dark next to Ferb. Funny how I can go out and jump in bed with a complete stranger when I need to, but I didn't want to cross this small line with Ferb…whom I just called my best friend. I don't think I ever thought about it until I just now admitted it. But it's definitely true…no denying that.

"Do you remember Vanessa?" He asked suddenly.

I nodded, "Yeah, she came to Paris with us."

"When I was seventeen, Vanessa got married. I was devastated because I truly thought we had a chance together once I turned eighteen. But I guess it wasn't meant to be," Ferb said this so matter-of-factly, I almost wondered if he ever was, as he said, devastated.

I started playing with the strings on the end of the afghan, "How come you never said anything?"

He shrugged, "No one asked. And I don't like going around talking about personal issues, even to Phineas. But this happened right after he started dating Scarlett, so I didn't want to ruin his…" he trailed off, but I knew what he meant.

Either way, that meant we were both going through similar situations this whole time. I wondered if I wished he would have confided in me all those years ago and if it would have made a difference at all. I suddenly wanted to hug him again. For all those years that he kept this big s_ecret _inside…and because…I wanted to know if he would hug me the same way he did the first time. Weird how a hug can be addicting, but…

I fought back the feeling because I didn't want the atmosphere to get awkward. We thankfully lived through one hug, I didn't want to risk a second.

I laid my head back against the couch and tried to focus on the ending of the movie, but my eyes were getting heavy and I felt sleep about to take over. I briefly wondered why I didn't just do this every night…stay at home and watch a movie with Ferb. I felt a lot better than I did when I had to sneak out of some random guy's bed, that's for sure.

But then I remembered…_oh yeah, Ferb has a life outside of me._

And the thought was a bit saddening.

I'd worry about that later though. I felt myself falling asleep with an overwhelming reflection on how Ferb was not going to be there when I woke up in the morning.


	7. The Lonely One

**.**

**Expiration Date**

**VII.**

I was very thankful that I had the final preparations for the festival to keep me occupied while everyone else was busy doing their own thing. Scarlett only sent me a few texts asking if I wanted to hang out at her house, but I ignored all of them. She's never exactly done that before, so I was going off of an assumption that she thought I was lonely since Ferb left.

This thought had something (well…everything) to do with a message she left for me on my office phone the first day Ferb was gone:

"_Hey, you. Sorry you couldn't make it to the barbeque last night. We missed you. I think Ferb felt like the third wheel without you. Speaking of Ferb, I know he left this morning, so if you want, you can come over after work. We can have coffee…or wine, whichever you prefer (she laughed). Let me know."_

I didn't call her back, but I figured that was enough to _let her know _I wasn't interested.

It was nice, however, to get a call from Ginger saying that her and the other girls would love to help me set up on the day of Finally Summer. I haven't seen some of them (oh, who am I kidding? I haven't seen any of them) in quite some time.

So when I saw all my Fireside girls together again on the beautiful morning of June twenty-first, it felt like I was where I belonged again. All their smiling faces stared at me as they waited for my directions on where to start and how I wanted everything to look.

"All right, Troop!" I began with enthusiasm, "Let's begin. Gretchen, you're in charge of the snow machine; turn these trees white! Adyson, hang up the solar-powered icicles! Holly, Katie, and Milly, get busy on setting up and positioning the igloo pavilions. Ginger, help me with everything else for now. Got it?"

They all saluted me while saying in unison: "Aye, aye, Chief!"

We all giggled before we got started.

Ginger and I had the best time talking, mostly about old times, when she suddenly stopped and looked at me with a ridiculously large grin, "Can I tell you something and you promise not to tell anyone else?"

"You're pregnant," I said instantly, but in a joking manner.

But when I saw the shock and disbelief clearly written on her face, the color drained from my own.

"How…how did you know?" She asked.

"I…didn't," I admitted, never even considering I would be guessing right when the words spilled from my mouth.

Ginger looked down at herself, "Am I showing already or something?"

I shook my head dumbly, staring directly at her stomach, "No…"

"Oh…" she looked back up at me and smiled again, "Okay, well…good guess. But _yes! _Totally pregos and couldn't be happier."

To try to hide my...feelings, whatever those were, I started unfolding an inflatable Eskimo, "I didn't know you were serious about Baljeet…"

"Well…" she started, taking another inflatable to unfold, "Truthfully, we really weren't before. I was busy a lot, he was busy being a doctor, we only saw each other every once in awhile, but…anyway, I told him as soon as I found out so we had a long, serious talk. We agreed that we wanted to get married before I started showing."

I laid out the inflatable on the ground and smoothed it out, "You don't think you're getting married for the wrong reason?"

She scrunched up her face, "I don't like it when people think a baby is a wrong reason. I mean, I guess if you hated the other parent it would be, but…Baljeet and I don't hate each other. Despite us not exactly being the perfect couple for the last seven years, we've never been with anyone else. That says something, right?"

I didn't answer. I didn't know what to say. I think I was mostly in shock in knowing that Baljeet was the first guy out of our group to get a girl pregnant. Go figure.

"Anyway, you're the only other person that knows," Ginger continued, "Mostly because I want you to be my maid of honor."

I accidentally groaned, "Not you, too!"

Ginger looked taken aback, "What do you mean by that? Do you not want to—."

I waved my hands frantically, "No, no…I didn't mean it like that. It's just…Scarlett said the same thing to me the other day."

"_What?!" _Ginger screamed, which, to my dismay, made the other girls run over to make sure everything was all right, "Phineas and Scarlett are getting married?!"

"_What?!" _echoed all the other girls.

I covered my face with my hands. Great…I really didn't want to mention anything involving them, but now they all knew, and I knew as soon as I uncovered my face that I would be met with six pairs of concerned eyes.

I shifted my eyes to the ground before I saw that pity, "Yeah…guess he's proposing tonight."

"Oh, Isabella…we're so sorry," Gretchen said before all of them huddled around me and gave me the biggest group hug.

I felt tears sting my eyes. I wanted to love all of them right now, but all I could think was how they detached themselves from me years ago because they didn't like what I became when Scarlett and Phineas started dating. Did they suddenly feel bad? Did they think that this proposal would finally be the end of everything and I could just forget about him?

I ducked out of the center and forced my way outside of them, "Come on, girls. Let's focus on making this place look great for tonight," I turned on the air blower to begin blowing up the inflatables. For once, I was glad that thing was super loud so no one would be able to talk to me.

During the five minutes it took to inflate, my mind was just as loud and empty. I couldn't believe it. Ginger was pregnant and about to get married. When we were all kids, I always thought I would be the first one. Not that I didn't have other things in life I wanted to do, but…I was the one that was head over heels in love my whole life. The others were hardly interested in one person in particular…but I guess Ginger could be an exception, since she did have a crush on Baljeet for a long time. In some way, I supposed I was happy for her. Baljeet, after all, did grow into himself and is now a successful doctor, so it's not like she picked some random bum.

As soon as I shut off the blower, Ginger called my name from behind me. I slowly stood up and turned around, but was glad when it was only her again and the other girls went back to work.

"You can hang out with Baljeet and I tonight," she offered with a small smile, "I know most people put a lot of emphasis on couples tonight, and I think the other girls found someone to bring, so—."

My heart began pounding in embarrassment, "You think I'm going to be the lonely one, don't you?"

She blushed so I instantly knew I guessed her thoughts correctly, "N-no…I just thought that—when the sun goes down—the three of us can…I mean, I know Ferb's not here, so—."

My heart jumped this time, "What does _Ferb _have to do with any of this!? Have you been talking to Scarlett?"

Ginger looked confused, "Not at all! You know I wouldn't do that to you…"

"Do I?!" I felt outraged and I wasn't sure why. Maybe because Ginger was being so nice to me. Maybe because she found her happily ever after first. Maybe because the world was cruel. Maybe because she reminded me that Ferb was out of town. "Because you've hardly talked to me in…in…I don't even know _how _long, but now you want me to be your maid of honor?!"

She didn't answer. She looked a little guilty, though, and knew we both felt horrible about the past and the present conversation.

"I am _not," _I continued, though my voice cracked, "about to be Jane Nichols," I finished, making a poor reference to _27 Dresses._

Ginger forced a smile, "I doubt you'll have to attend twenty-seven wedding before you find someone, Is."

"That's the problem," I admitted, throwing the Eskimo to the side, "I already found someone…"

_Shit, _I needed a drink. But I was on the clock and if I was caught drinking…that would just make my life worse.

We stood in silence for a moment before Ginger gave a smile that clearly said _I want to cheer your depressing ass up, _"You know who I think likes you?"

"If you say Ferb, I'm punching you," I warned her instantly.

She didn't feel threatened, it seemed, when she put her hands on her hips and shimmied mockingly, "Can't hit a pregnant woman."

"Damn you," I admitted and both of us laughed shortly.

"No, but seriously," she finally said.

"No _but seriously," _I mocked, grabbing a table and grabbed the folded legs to pull them out, "Scarlett said the same thing but it's not true. He doesn't. Not like that. He feels the same way about me as I feel about him."

"And how's that?" she asked inquisitively.

"I…" I stumbled over my words, realizing I never had to say exactly how I felt about the situation I put myself in aloud, "That it's nice just having someone there. Someone that you don't have to pretend you're someone else in front of."

Ginger sighed dreamily, "Sounds perfect to me."

"Yeah, well…" I trailed off, not quite sure how to respond to that. She didn't say anything else, so I should have just let it go—but me and my big mouth just couldn't stop, "I know I would feel a whole lot different tonight if he was here though."

She began pulling legs out from other tables, "Yeah, you two have been going to these things together since you started it."

"We haven't been _going _together," I corrected, "We just met here and stayed close, 'cause…well, neither of us had anyone else to bring."

Rolling her eyes good naturedly, Ginger brought up what happened last year: "You brought that guy…don't know his name, but you ditched him half way through the night 'cause he was getting on your nerves."

I chuckled, "Oh yeah, I remember that. I don't know why I thought that was a good idea."

"Well…like I said, you can hang out with me and Baljeet. I'll ask him to kiss you, too, if you want."

"I'm…I'm fine," I laughed nervously, not wanting to be put in that position. But her offer made me think of the New Year's scene from _When Harry Met Sally_, which made me think of Ferb.

She smiled, "Or…you know, you can just call Ferb and wish him a Happy Finally Summer Day."

I was about to dismiss that idea as well, but the more I thought about it, the more appealing it sounded. Ferb was in a different time zone but that didn't mean I still couldn't call him when the sun went down here. It almost made me wish I wasn't so cheap and invested in a video phone.

I found myself nodding, "I just might do that, Ginger."

* * *

All of Danville arrived at my festival. The park was packed and it made me glad that I heard so many people complimenting the theme this year. There was snow in the trees and on the ground, icicles hung from many ledges, just waiting to light up when the sun went down, and seeing people coming in and out of igloos was entertaining.

Mayor Doofenshmirtz thanked me for all my hard work in his speech, which made all of my friends gather around me, glad that they knew me personally.

The biggest treat, however, was when Phineas (and _just _Phineas) came over to talk to me.

"Hey, Isabella," he greeted, two plastic cups in his hands, "The place looks great! You know I could have helped you though…remember when I—."

I laughed and pushed a strand of hair behind my ear, "Of course I remember when you made it snow. I don't think everyone wanted to freeze tonight though. Snow on a hot summer day is perfect."

His smile grew, "Your concept of perfect is fascinating. _But _I see what you mean. Did you do all this by yourself?"

I shook my head, eyeing the cup in his left hand (the one he wasn't drinking from) and wondered if it was for me, "No, the Fireside girls helped out a lot."

"Cool! You guys always did come through for projects," he took another sip of his drink, "By the way, I talked to Ferb earlier today. I asked him if he thought he was going to be able to make it, but he's not sure yet. Speaking of Ferb, you know what Scarlett told me?"

I flinched and looked away, pretty sure I knew what Scarlett had to say about Ferb. I specifically told her that nothing was going on, so why did she have to bring it up to everyone else for?

But before Phineas could tell me anything, Scarlett walked up next to him, grabbing the cup from his left hand, "The park looks amazing, Isabella," she said, "I wish it could look like this all the time."

I opened my mouth, ready to give the meanest comeback that may have not even slipped past Phineas' radar, but Ginger and Baljeet suddenly appeared to _save the day._

Trying to get my mind off what was about to be said, I instantly blurted out: "Hey, Baljeet! Congratulations!"

Baljeet looked mortified and I mentally punched myself. Did anyone else know anything yet? Ginger told me not to tell anyone that she was pregnant…

"True that!" Phineas chimed in, "Do you guys have a date yet?"

I snapped my eyes to Ginger, wondering if she knew that Baljeet told Phineas. Ginger tried to smile nonchalantly as she held up her left hand and wiggled her fingers, a ring clearly evident on her finger.

_Oh, I see…_Phineas knew about their engagement.

Baljeet relaxed as well when he realized the topic we were talking about. He must be nervous about other people finding out about Ginger's state as well.

"Oh my God, you guys!" Scarlett stepped forward and grabbed Ginger's hand and I almost laughed loudly when Ginger instantly snapped her hand back. This didn't seem to deter Scarlett's excitement, "That's so great! And that ring looks _remarkable _on you! I can only hope that I get a ring like that someday…"

_Boom, _there goes one of her hints. Little did she know, though, that she didn't have to drop hints anymore…

I looked at Phineas and saw him grin as he stuck his hand in his pocket, no doubt verifying the ring was still there and ready for tonight. I felt myself flush and become light headed, so I instantly excused myself.

"Isabella!" I heard Ginger call my name before catching up with me, "You okay?"

I stopped and looked at her, feeling my anger rise again, because I hate when people ask stupid questions, "Distract Scarlett so I can get Phineas alone."

She paled, "I don't think that's—."

"I don't _care _what you think!" I snapped, but before I could get her to do anything, I heard the mayor calling me to arrange in getting more drinks set out.

Stupid people and their thirstiness….

I figured I would find Ginger to get Scarlett away from Phineas afterward, but before I could do anything, Candace and Amanda found me and Amanda insisted on hanging out with me for awhile. I couldn't say no, and any other time I wouldn't want to, but time was running out and if I didn't tell Phineas soon…

I was starting to panic when the sun was a half hour away from setting and, not only was I not able to spot Scarlett and Phineas in the crowd, I couldn't even find Ginger.

"Who are you looking for?" Amanda finally asked me when I kept pulling her along through the cluster of people.

"Your Uncle Phineas. Do you see him anywhere?" I asked the young girl, though doubted that she would have a better view above people's heads than I. That's when I got the brilliant idea of picking her up and setting her on my shoulders. "Keep an eye out," I told her.

"Is something wrong?" she asked, leaning forward and looking down so she could see me, "Is he hurt?"

"No, Sweetie, it's nothing like that," I reassured her, though the tone of my voice didn't match my words.

"Did something break?" Amanda asked.

I narrowed my eyes before saying, "Something's about to…"

Twenty minutes to sundown, and then: "Aunt Isabella, I have to go to the bathroom."

Why must kids always have to pee at the most inconvenient times! So I took her to the bathrooms, not at all pleased when I saw there was a line. As we stood there, I happened to spot Phineas finally and was about to run toward him, but got stopped short by Amanda again, asking me to stay with her.

_Damn it, _where was Candace? Or Jeremy? Or _anyone else _that could stay with Amanda?!

About time we got through the line and back out, it was five minutes to sundown.

"Mommy!" Amanda yelled excitedly as Candace just so happened to be there at _that _moment, with Jeremy holding the two boys right behind her.

"Oh good, we found you," Candace said, scooping up her daughter, "We have to all be together when the countdown starts!" her eyes widened and brightened, causing Amanda to become eager about the next few minutes. I watched the family walk away to find a good spot and suddenly felt more alone than ever.

"Three minutes!" The major boomed into a microphone.

Everyone went insane. I visibly saw the sun beginning to sink below the horizon and felt ill. People started scrambling to find who they wanted to be with when the sun disappeared and shouts of different names began echoing in my head.

That's when I saw them: Phineas and Scarlett. They were running away from me, Phineas pulling her hand to the location he chose for them.

"Wait!" I yelled, though I could hardly hear my own voice over all the others.

And for some reason, when I tried to go toward them, everyone else was coming toward _me_, which made it very hard to make my way through the crowd.

_Oh no…oh no no no no no no….this is _not _happening…_

Before I knew it, someone shouted _Thirty! _and almost instantly, everyone knew where they needed to be and stopped moving.

A few people joined in to say _Twenty-nine! _then a few more for _Twenty-eight! _and about time twenty-five was reached, everyone was involved in the countdown.

When twenty was reached, I saw Phineas and Scarlett. He was taking a mini igloo shaped box from his pocket and showing it to her. She covered her mouth this her hands in shock.

_I can't let this happen…_

I took a step forward, but that's when I spotted a flash of green. I stopped and stood on my tiptoes, my heart falling to my stomach. I thought I had just imagined seeing things, but it was when twelve was reached that I saw him.

"Ferb…" I said under my breath, but it was like he heard me from thirty feet away because our eyes instantly connected.

The screams began ringing in my head: _Ten, nine…_

I began racing toward him, dodging people left and right, glad that he was doing the same.

It was insane how I felt in that moment. I thought that I should have been running toward Phineas and Scarlett and knocking that stupid box out of their hands and letting Phineas know that Finally Summer was all for him because _everything _I ever did was for him!

_Five, four…_

But instead, I was racing toward his brother, because it just seemed to make more sense all of a sudden.

_Two…one! _

The sun disappeared but the darkness wasn't even given a chance before the solar-powered icicles came on with all their brilliance. And I didn't stop running until I flung myself into Ferb's arms, my arms encircling his neck as he embraced me just as he had before. I felt that strong, steady hand on the back of my head and held my breath for a _long _moment so I would know for certain that I wasn't about to breathe all this away.

I heard the shouts of joy and "Finally Summer!" all around us, but they were muted in my existence as I closed my eyes and rested my head on his collar bone, "You came…"

"Sorry I'm late," I heard from his vibrating chest more than his mouth.

I only shook my head slightly, "You're right on time."

Despite having to stand on my very tip tippy-toes to stay how we were, I never wanted to leave because I knew that somewhere close to me was something that went against all my hopes and dreams as they were handed over to another girl.

"It happened," I said, squeezing my arms tighter around him.

He only pressed my head harder against him in response, but it was perfect, because I felt cocooned in a place where _it _didn't matter, because Ferb saved me from what could have ended disastrously.

"Thanks for the huge turnout…" Mayor Doofenshmirtz began speaking into the microphone and people began walking about normally again.

But even so, I was not letting go of what I was holding onto, because that would be admitting that it was over. I was relieved that he showed no signs of releasing me, either, because…

What was his rush here if not for this?


	8. The Drinking Game

**.**

**Expiration Date**

**VIII.**

The festival lasted for about an hour after sundown before people finally started to leave. Parents were carrying their sleeping children, all of them ready for bed after a long day in the sun, but all the young twenty-something-year-olds were ready for a "real" party.

Or, at least, Buford made them think so.

It seemed like everyone there would have joyfully staggered their way straight to their comfy beds, but as soon as Buford yelled out, "Party at my place!" everyone came back to life. We all knew that he lived right outside of town where he didn't have to worry about neighbors telling him to turn down the music. He also had a large fire pit in his backyard which almost everyone thought was the coolest thing ever.

I considered bailing, especially when I saw that Phineas and Scarlett were going. Ever since they started dating, it's been hard for me to be around huge groups of people, especially people I knew, because it just made me feel more alone.

'_All your friends seem like enemies when you're broken down and empty…' _as Dallas Green has so painfully told me time and time again.

But then all my Fireside girls were surrounding me, begging for me to go. I must have looked like how I felt.

"Come on, Isabella, it'll be great!" Holly started the wave of pathetic persuasive speeches.

"Yeah, it's been _ssooooo _long since you hung out with all of us! We miss you!" Katie chimed in, which only made me want to snap at all of them for not hanging out with _me._

"Plus…" Adyson started in a sly way, sliding next to me before putting her arm around me, "There'll be alcohol. You can't pass that up."

"Don't tell her that!" Ginger snapped (haha, name joke). She held her glare on Adyson, no doubt upset with her for using my alcoholism as a stepping stone to get me to tag along.

"Whatever," Adyson said and though I wasn't looking at her, I could tell she rolled her eyes, "But you're passing up a good opportunity."

"A good opportunity for what?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

She shrugged in an uncaring manner, but her face told a different story, "You know…to get someone—."

"We just think that since you did all this hard work today, that you deserve to unwind a bit," Gretchen cut in, and they all exchanged looks like it was a good thing Gretchen cut Adyson off when she did.

"_That _is a good point," agreed Ginger, "You _did _do a great job today…plus, Ferb was able to make it back to see the end of it, and I'm sure he's going to the party."

All eyes turned expectant. Like_ that _was going to change my mind instantly. And…well…

I looked over to where I saw Phineas and Scarlett earlier, and now saw Phineas talking with Ferb. Phineas looked so proud of himself…

Wondering where Scarlett went, I searched around for her and spotted her at the park's entrance talking on her phone. My first thought was that she was calling everyone she knew to tell them _the good news. _But—no, she actually looked quite pissed like whoever it was she was talking to was giving her grief.

I furrowed my eyebrows. I really wanted to sneak over there to see what was going on, but Ginger brought my attention back to them.

"Isabella? So you comin'?"

I glanced back over at Phineas and Ferb and made eye contact with Ferb, who had been looking in my direction. Phineas was still chatting away and I couldn't tell if Ferb was listening to him or not, especially when he showed me that small smile of his…

"Yes, I'm coming."

* * *

Carpooling seemed ideal to everyone. Ferb insisted we take his car out there (I'm not sure why) even though Ginger said she wouldn't _mind _being the DD. Anyway, so the car consisted of Ferb and I in the front and Ginger and Baljeet in the back.

We were half way there when Ginger said, "You can drink tonight if you want, Ferb. I think I'll stick with water tonight."

I looked back at her through the passenger side window and saw she was looking over at Baljeet with a _What?! I'm just offering! _kinda look. But when she looked forward and caught my eyes, I gave her my best _Ferb's the only one here that doesn't know, and do you really think _he's_ gonna go blabbing about it? _look.

She sighed solemnly, but then looked super excited as she bounced in her seat, "I'm pregnant!"

I grinned at her enthusiasm of being able to share her news with someone else. I looked over at Ferb to see him smiling as well.

"Congratulations, you two," he said and I nearly melted, because…because he was gone for four days and it was nice to have him back.

"What are you guys hoping for?" I asked.

"Hmm…I'm thinking I was a girl right now," Ginger said thoughtfully.

"As long as it is healthy, I am content," Baljeet offered, but Ginger must have sent him a glare for not picking one or the other, because then he said: "What?! It is true!"

Ginger seemed to accept it pretty easily then, because she scooted toward the middle to be closer to him, "Well, whatever it is, I'm glad the daddy is a super smart doctor who will take care of everything."

It was moments like this that made me hate myself for hating my friends. What gave them the right to be so happy back there when she should be freaking out over her unexpected pregnancy?

"Hey," Ferb said suddenly which caught my attention. I looked over at him to see him shaking his head, "No scowling."

I crossed my arms like a brat, "I wasn't scowling, I was thinking."

Ginger sat forward and pointed, "Oh look we're he—whoa, what the hell?"

Buford had apparently rushed home to beat everyone, because there was a _huge _fire blazing in his backyard, the tips easily reaching twenty-five to thirty feet.

"How is that guy still alive?" Ginger pondered aloud as Ferb parked in the grass next to Phineas' car.

"By normal standards, he should not be," Baljeet answered as we all got out of the car, "I still remember the day he threw a whole case of fireworks into the pit," Baljeet shivered at the memory, "There was nowhere to hide…"

Ginger looked terrified, "He's not invited to the wedding."

* * *

About time everyone got there, there were about fifteen people from my graduating class and about ten other people I didn't know at all, though the other girls were talking to them like they were all best friends.

It didn't take long for one of these Unknowns to take an interest in me which caused him to retch out an unhealthy amount of pickup lines throughout the night.

"You're like my appendix: I might die if I don't take you out."

"If beauty were measured in seconds, you'd be an hour!"

"I may not be a genie, but I can make your wildest dreams come true."

I rolled my eyes at each one of them, constantly taking sips of my beer. I wasn't nearly drunk enough to deal with persistent random guys, nor did I want to do that when everyone I knew was around. It was one thing to go out finding guys I would never see again and knew none of my friends would ever see, but it was a totally different thing when there was a chance the guy could hunt me down afterward.

He got bored with me at some point since I wasn't responding to him at all and made his way over to the group of loud girls on the other side of the fire.

I quickly finished my beer and instantly felt someone standing next to me. I looked to my right and saw that it was Ferb.

I smirked as I crushed the can in my hand, "You shoulda showed up ten minutes ago. I could've said you were my boyfriend and spared myself a lot of bad pickup lines."

"I was observing from afar," he let me know and that's when I noticed that he didn't have a drink in his hands, "I thought you were handling him quite well."

"Wasn't much to handle," I looked into the fire that had shrunken considerably. On the other side of the pit, a couple of the girls screamed in delight over something one of the guys did and started to run, the guy dutifully chasing after them.

I wished I could be as carefree as them. What was wrong with me…?

"Why aren't you drinking?" I asked him to try to take my mind off of me.

He nodded his head toward all the cars.

"Yeah, but Ginger said she would drive us back, so you don't have to worry about it. It's handy having a pregnant friend in that regard," I joked.

"Getting drunk in public isn't really my thing," he responded.

I instantly shot back with: "So getting drunk in private is?"

He shrugged, "Depends who I'm in the privacy of."

"If we left right now, would you get drunk with me?"

He looked from the fire to me, "Are you _trying _to get me intoxicated?"

For reasons I wasn't quite sure about, I blushed and felt a burn in my body, but figured it was just because I was standing so close to the flames, "It would definitely be interesting to see what kind of a drunk you are…"

"Solemn."

"Is there any way for you to validate that?" I nudged him as I said it, and it was in that moment I realized I was flirting with Ferb. It was strange (I think) so I stepped away from him to get a grip.

Before he could answer, about eight of the girls screamed again and I wondered why the hell they were being so loud. Unless a damn rattlesnake was crawling up their legs, there was just no reason for it.

God, when did I become so bitter…

"I'm gonna use the bathroom," I announced quickly as I turned around and headed toward Buford's house. Loud music was coming out of all the open windows and doors and the rest of the people that were inside were laughing loudly at something.

I stepped into the kitchen just in time to see Buford beating some guy at beer pong. Almost all of Buford's cups were still in front of him which caused him to groan in aggravation even though he just won, "Come on! I need a _real _player! Who's my next challenger?!"

"Isabella!" Adyson screamed my name as soon as she spotted me. I could've sworn I just saw her outside. She held up her can of beer to me as she staggered a bit to the left, a guy wrapping his arm around her waist to steady her, "She'll kick your ass, Buford!"

Buford crossed his arms with confidence as he stared me down, "I don't think a _girl _stands a chance against me and The Captain's balls!"

Everyone roared with laughter but I just raised an eyebrow, half at his (still-in-place) sexism and half at the balls comment, "Captain's balls?"

"Yeah, instead of beer, we're playing with Captain," he held up a ping pong ball, "If my ball lands in your hole, you gotta guzzle it all down!"

I rolled my eyes at his inappropriateness and was about to just walk away from the whole scene when he yelled after me, "I knew she wouldn't be able to handle it."

I still should have walked away…but there was just something about Buford and his annoying bigotry that always got me steaming. With narrowed eyes, I took a hairband from my pocket and put my hair up in a high ponytail and stood at the opposite end of the table from him.

Everyone cheered as Buford ordered someone to fill up my cups.

"Rules of the game: If the ball lands in the cup, you yell, '_YES' _in the most exotic voice ya got," as Buford said this, people laughed again.

"You and the other guys you were playing against were screaming that to each other?" I asked with a smirk, which made everyone point to Buford and yell accusingly.

"No!" Buford defended himself quickly, "Just tryin' to make it more interestin'. Rule two: If the ball hits the rim of the cup, you yell, _'Rim job!' _and drink half the cup."

"Gross…whatever," I mumbled as I took my stance, ready to beat Buford at his own game.

Sometime later, Buford and I were about to finish the game and we each only had one cup left. Unfortunately, Buford had a much higher chance of winning. Whereas I was used to drinking a few glasses every few nights, Buford was more used to drinking the stronger stuff…like Captain. Plus, I was a petite five-foot-seven girl, and Buford was a huge six-foot-something bulldozer.

I could hardly stand in one place and I could hardly focus on where his cup was to even aim in the general area.

"You okay there, Isabella?" Buford asked which made me upset.

"Shut up you oaf! I got this!" I growled as I held the ball between my forefinger and thumb, squinting my eyes to try to see straight. I threw it before I could think long and was surprised by all the yelling when I actually made it in his cup.

I yelled as well and threw my arms in the air in triumph, but the sudden movement made everything even more blurry. Instead of sticking around to rub it in his face, I ran out of the room, my drunken mind telling me to do a victory lap. I only managed to make it into the living room before running into the back of the couch and tumbling over it, bouncing off the cushions, and landing on the floor.

"Isabella?"

The voice made me look up automatically, my eyes barely focusing on what my brain could hardly comprehend. Still, I was able to make out the concerned face of Phineas Flynn.

"Phineas!" I stood up with far less grace than I would have liked and tripped on nothing to stumble back on the couch.

"Whoa, you okay?" he asked, reaching out to his hand to help me up.

I giggled and grabbed his hand, pushing myself up as he pulled which caused me to fall into him. He managed to catch himself before falling backwards. But all I could focus on was how his hands were on my hips and my arms were around his neck.

"You look good close up," I said in what my mind translated as seductive, but it was probably just slurred and gross.

"Umm…" As he looked at me, I could hardly contain myself. I just wanted to kiss him and tell him all of how I felt, going into all those crazy details about how long I've loved him, what he did that made me fall for him, why I couldn't get over him, where we should go to _talk _about this some more…

"Phineas…I've been wanting…to say all this for so long and I—."

"Isabella, I can hardly understand you. Do you need some water?" Phineas interrupted me and it got me frustrated.

"No, you can't…you can't delay this anymore! You need to know—."

"What's going on?" Someone came up to stand beside us and upon focusing with all my might, I saw that it was Scarlett.

"_No!" _I yelled, angry that she disturbed us, "_You _don't get to just get away with something that I wanted—."

"I think she may be drunk," Phineas was talking to Scarlett which made my grip tighten on him. After all, his hands were on _me _not her, so I had the upper hand.

I laughed, "Oh, Phineas, your obliviousness—(I don't even want to know how bad I screwed up that word)—is…is…"

"Isabella, do you need us to take you home?" Scarlett asked politely, though I could tell she was upset with me when I felt her hands try to force me away from Phineas.

"_Don't touch me!" _I yelled, snatching my hands away from hers which made me back away from Phineas. I'm pretty sure it was at this point that I started to draw in the crowd because the room suddenly felt like it was closing in. I was feeling overwhelmed and drunk and demoralized as all hell, and I think I was about to scream and start punching people that were too close to me. But then I felt an arm around my shoulders and Ferb's voice in my ear saying, "Let's step outside," and I very willingly went because it was my best chance at escape.

Once we made it through the crowd and out into the fresh air, I crossed my arms and started walking quickly toward the cars. Looking down at the earth as I walked was a terrible idea, because I started to spin in the opposite direction and if I kept walking, I would have vomited everything I drank that night.

With that, I fell to my knees and buried my face in my hands. It was kind of nice to not have to force the tears as they began flowing on their own free will, and it felt bittersweet to suffer through the sensation of tears streaking down my cheeks.

I don't think I was like that very long before Ferb, who was standing in front of me, said, "Get up."

It wasn't an angry tone I heard in his voice, but something more forceful; something so strong that it instantly made me stop sobbing, uncover my face of shame, and look up at him through blurry eyes, "Wh-what?"

"You heard me. Get up," He stood so still I almost wondered if he was some sort of angel statue that was sent to me, "I'm not about to just sit by and watch you go through this again. You've come too far to belittle yourself like this."

I sniffed and looked at the ground, surprised that everything seemed a bit more focused. With weak and wobbly limbs, I pushed myself off the ground until I was standing on numb legs. I sniffed again as my body tried to get itself under control. I wiped my nose shamefully with the back of my hand before crossing my arms.

Noticing that Ferb was still standing there, I slowly looked up to meet his gaze which was easier than I thought it was going to be. There was no disappointment there, just sternness.

Then he said: "I have a bottle of water in the car," before turning and heading in the direction we were going in the first place.

Without hesitating, I started to follow him, my mind and frame feeling substantially weightless…

"What about Ginger and Baljeet…?" I asked, my voice sounding thin to my ears.

"They'll be fine," he reassured me as he unlocked the car and reached in for the water. He twisted the top off before handing it to me. I sipped sluggishly, knowing that I could very well still get sick if I gulped it down like I truly wanted to.

Ferb waited for me to drink about a third of the bottle before taking it back to put the lid on.

I bit my lip and started to shiver, "Ferb, I'm so sor—."

He held up his hand to stop me. He put the water on top of the car and grabbed both my shoulders and leaned down enough to look me right in my eyes, "Don't _ever _be sorry."

And then this strange and new feeling just swept through me and I wanted…I mean, I think I wanted to kiss him. I don't know if it was because of his closeness, or because I didn't get to kiss Phineas earlier, or because I truly wanted to because this guy in front of me was my saving grace for the past umpteen years and was now showing me the way to build myself up in a way I had forgotten how to do a long time ago.

I started to lean in but before I got too close, he stood up straight and walked around the car to the passenger side, "Let's get you home."

My heart quenched in my chest and I _hated (I hated hated hated HATED) _it because it just didn't make sense. I followed him to the passenger side, stepping heavily. I stopped when I was in front of him…Ferb, who was holding the door open for me like chivalry wasn't dead…

"Ferb, I thought you—."

But something in his eyes stopped me. It was dark; we were away from the light of the fire, but we had the car's interior light and that was just enough. Ferb was always good at speaking through his facial expressions (as long as you knew how to interpret them), and right then, his eyes were clearly saying, _"We'll talk later when you're sober."_

I nodded before sliding into the car, feeling safe in the enclosed space when he closed the door.

I was still indecisive about whether I made a good or bad decision by not confessing everything instantly to Phineas. How would I be feeling right now if I told him? If he turned me down, my friendship with him would be forever destroyed. _But _I'd still be humiliated and still be leaving the party with Ferb.

But if I told Phineas and it made him realize that he's loved me all along as well…

Ferb slid into the driver's seat and started his car up. I stared at him as he put the car in reverse, how he looked into the rearview mirror, how his left hand held the steering wheel, how his right gripped the stick shift…

If Phineas shared my feelings, I wouldn't be leaving with Ferb right now.

And it made me nervous when I wondered if Phineas' reciprocation would have been better.

.

.

...

...

Hello. I wanted to take a moment to thank those of you who review. It means a lot to me. On that note, I've taken this story somewhere different than what I originally intended. It's not so much about spying on Scarlett now as it is about Isabella overcoming her downward spiral through the help of herself and Ferb. When a person goes through a bad depression, it's often hard for their friends to understand. Hopefully, at least one person will stay by their side, either because they understand or because they would simply never abandon a friend in their darkest hour.

Anyway...I decided a journey sounded better than spying.

-Enula


	9. Always Waiting

**.**

**Expiration Date**

**IX.**

That night I had a strange dream that felt eerily real—by that, I mean that I _knew _I was dreaming in my dream, which made it seem like I was telling my awake self that this _had _to be a dream, though I didn't believe it was.

I was running through a round tunnel. It was almost completely black except for these small lights that were underneath the inch of water on the ground. The sloshing sound struck fear through my heart. Not once did I turn around to see what was chasing me, but I felt it at my heels the whole time. I don't know if it was something solid or an idea, but I knew if it caught up to me, I'd be dead.

Then finally, I saw the cliché light that was at the end of the tunnel and felt happy for a brief moment. But…all of a sudden…someone stepped in front of my exit. It was Scarlett. I instantly stopped running and felt like I would be stuck in the tunnel forever, wedged between a girl and something I wasn't sure of.

My dream heart plummeted in defeat and that's when I woke up with a start. My chest hurt from the tremendous pounding going on inside, and it continued to do so when I sensed that I wasn't in my own bed, but it was too dark to figure out my location.

A heaviness weighed on my brain, but I forced myself to sit up to understand where I was. I felt the bed underneath me and breathed in through my nose; by this time, my eyes adjusted enough to the dark to realize that I was in Ferb's guest bedroom.

I moaned and laid back down, wanting nothing more than to fall back asleep, but a headache and bad breath make it hard to get comfortable again, no matter how hung over I was.

Exhaling heavily, I rolled my way out of bed, my body fighting my mind every second of the way. I shuffled my way to the door, slowly grabbing the doorknob so as to not make any noise whatsoever, and slowly pulled the door open.

The bedroom was literally right across the hall and around the corner from the kitchen, and that's where I heard Ferb talking on the phone. His voice was low…that kind of low that people use when they're trying to be quiet for sleeping people, but for some reason it becomes distracting. I wondered if that was the real reason I woke up.

"I don't understand how you can't see what's happening," I heard him say and he sounded so annoyed, something I wasn't completely accustomed to, which made me unintentionally eavesdrop, "What's _been _happening."

He got quiet as the person on the other end spoke. I opened the door a little further, gritting my teeth in the hopes that it didn't squeak, until it was open far enough for me to squeeze out.

"It's not even about that…no, not really…no, you could've handled it differently."

I crossed my arms to hug myself when I was met with the chilly hallway air. The only light came from the kitchen and I wondered what time it was. It felt like it was four in the morning, but I wasn't sure who Ferb would be talking to if that was the case.

"A rift, yes, I know, but you have to see that…never mind. No, never mind. _Never mind,"_ Ferb sighed exhaustedly then stopped talking for a long moment.

Just standing there was making me need to pee. So I tiptoed down to the other end of the hallway where the guest bathroom was. While in there, I also remembered that Ferb had a whole drawer full of disposable toothbrushes and was ecstatic when I was able to brush the foul taste from my mouth.

I considered just going back to sleep, but there was too many factors I couldn't ignore. One: I was starving. I hadn't eaten anything all day (yesterday?) which was probably why I got drunk so easily. Two: I was dehydrated beyond belief. No matter how many times I licked my lips or rubbed my fingers over my palms, there was simply no moisture to gather. Three: I wanted to talk to Ferb. I felt terrible that he had to leave the party with me then carry my ass into bed 'cause I passed out in the car.

I walked into the kitchen's entryway. Ferb was sitting at the island, but he was facing away from me. His phone was pressed to his ear and I wondered how long he'd been just listening.

"Okay, I'll figure it out. You go right on doing…I'll talk to you later," then he finally hung up.

I wasn't sure how to let him know I was standing there, so I just opened with a question, "Who were you talking to?"

Ferb spun the chair to face me and he just stared. I started to feel a little self-conscious which made me reach up to run my fingers through my hair. It was then that I realized that not only did I feel messed up, my hair was having a worse night. Normally, I would throw my head forward and give it a couple shakes that would get my hair looking decent, but I just couldn't do that right then.

"Phineas," Ferb finally answered, looking away when he saw how fidgety I became, "I was talking to Phineas."

"Oh…" I switched all my weight to my right leg, "Was he…worried…about me?"

He flipped the phone over and over in his hand, "Something like that."

I again tried licking my lips but was met with nothing but dryness, "Do you mind if I get some water and food?" I forced a small smile, "I'm starving…"

"I'll make pancakes," he announced quickly before grabbing a pan that was hanging above the island and heading towards the stove.

I went to the refrigerator and grabbed a glass that was in the cupboard beside it, filling it up to the top with ice cold water from the dispenser. About time I downed the whole glass, Ferb was already pouring pancake batter into a bowl.

"You didn't have to go through all this…I would have been happy with cereal or toast," I said half-jokingly, though I was thanking my lucky stars that he was making actual food.

"That doesn't sound like a good midnight snack," he said, which made me look at the clock and saw that it was actually 1:13 am. "Besides, I didn't eat all day yesterday either. I was in travel status for most of it."

I moved out of his way so he could get the eggs and milk from the fridge. I sat down on one of the bar stools, "That's right! I didn't even ask how your trip went. Everything go smoothly?"

He only nodded as he mixed the ingredients in the bowl. I could sense that he was annoyed about something, but I was unsure of whether I should ask about it or continue talking about other things. Or not talk at all?

Staying quiet wasn't really one of my strong points, but I tried my hardest as he poured small amounts of the liquid batter onto the hot skillet. I attempted to make a ponytail with my hands (where did my ponytail holder go anyway?) in order to tame my wild mess.

"Thanks for bringing me in," I said softly.

"I wasn't going to leave you in the car all night," he replied shortly which made me instantly know that he was mad at me about something. And knowing that—it terrified me. Was he mad that…oh man, Ferb had too many reasons to be upset with me, didn't he?

I stood up to get more water but as I faced the dispenser, something inside me was seeing this situation in a way that separated itself from me. Ferb and I had our backs facing each other and there was a tension that I never wanted between us. Did I do or say something that I don't remember? I'm pretty sure that as soon as we started driving I blacked out.

Or maybe it was Phineas that troubled him? He didn't sound too thrilled on the phone, but I've hardly seen the brothers upset or annoyed with one another.

"Chocolate chips?"

I turned around when he asked this. He was holding up a half bag of chocolate chips and he looked…tired. Very tired. It looked like he hadn't slept in quite awhile, but I guess jetlag and staying up half the night would have something to do with that.

After I smiled and nodded, he sprinkled some chips into one of the perfectly round pancakes-in-the-making for me, leaving his as was. I watched him watch the pancakes, sliding the spatula underneath them enough so the sides wouldn't stick and burn.

"I'm so glad you're back," I heard the words leave my mouth before I could comprehend it.

He was finally able to get the whole spatula underneath a pancake and flip it flawlessly, "Why?"

I was taken aback for a moment by his question, "Because I missed you."

He didn't answer, and I didn't hear him sigh, but I saw it in his form, so I had to ask, "Are you mad at me?"

He blinked and turned to me, "I'm making you pancakes."

"So you're saying that you wouldn't make me pancakes if you were mad at me?"

Ferb flipped the pancake one more time, "No, I would still make you pancakes…"

"You'll always make me pancakes?"

He grabbed a plate and placed the chocolate chip pancake on it before handing it to me, "Yes, though eventually you'll get tired of them."

I grabbed the plate, instantly ripping off a small piece of the pancake and eating it, my eyes closing in bliss from the taste and substance, "I don't think I'll ever get tired of this."

When I opened my eyes, Ferb was staring at me again. I truly wanted to know what he was thinking, and since he didn't seem to want to say it, I kept eye contact with him, hoping I'd either figure it out in his expression or he'd eventually crack and tell me.

But this is Ferb we're talking about here. If he doesn't want to talk, he's not going to, simple as that. But I continued to stare anyway, because there was just something about his gaze…

Then I suddenly remembered events from earlier. Mostly how I considered kissing him before we left the party. I still wish I knew where that desire came from. I don't think I'd ever considered it before then, but…why not?

Oh yeah! Because I was in love with Phineas and Ferb was my best friend and if I kissed him, there would be all this unneeded tension and apologies, and what if the kissing led to _other _things and then I could never look him in the eye like this again?

Considering all this made me look away. I started picking at another piece of pancake before I said, "I think you're burning your pancake…"

He jumped and instantly turned off the stove, dumping the pancake onto his plate from the skillet. Sure enough, it was pretty black on one side. I've never really seen Ferb mess anything up, let alone food, so was a bit amused about this change of pace.

"We can share mine," I offered, holding out my plate to him.

Ferb looked like he considered it for a moment before dumping the rest of the batter from the bowl onto the pan. I shrugged and sat down at the table, "More for me."

* * *

After we were done eating (in silence), I announced that I wanted to take a shower. Without saying a word, Ferb got me a couple towels from the hallway closet.

As soon as I undressed and got under the hot spray, I felt all my muscles relax and I began to feel like a human being again. A tired and still a bit buzzed human, but human nonetheless. This was my first time ever taking a shower here, but I have to say, it was so much better than taking a shower at my house. The shower was bigger, it had a sliding door as opposed to my plastic curtains, the water pressure was heavier…I wished I could take a shower here all the time.

It was only upon this thought that I realized I didn't have any clean clothes here. In fact, I didn't have anything here—deodorant, a hairbrush, lotion…would Ferb find it weird if I brought these things over and stored them in his guest bedroom? I was still fairly certain I was the only one that used it, and even if I wasn't, would it really be that big of a deal if some of my belongings were in there?

I turned off the water and wrapped the big green towel around me, loving how it was large enough to cover all the way down to my knees. I wrapped the other towel around my hair, gathered up my clothes, and stepped out into the cool hallway. I went back to the guest bedroom and was quite surprised to see that Ferb left me one of his shirts on the bed. My stomach got this weird feeling…not only did I never shower at Ferb's house before now, I also never wore any of his clothing. All this seemed so much more…_personal_ than I was used to.

But I think I liked it. With a strange giddiness, I threw off the towel and slid the shirt over my head, not at all surprised when it pretty much worked as a nightgown for me. It was a light green button down; the sleeves tumbled past my hands…but I loved it. I grabbed the collar with both hands and lifted it to my nose, breathing in deeply and getting this overwhelming sense of home and familiarity.

I wanted to thank him before he went to bed, so I quickly flipped the towel off my head, wet and slightly curled hair tumbling down my back. I never felt so…

I went to the door and threw it open, instantly covering my mouth to hide my shocked scream when I saw Ferb standing right there. His hand was up like he was about to knock, but even when there was no solid object between us, his arm remained in place as he seemed just as surprised as I was.

"Ferb…I was just coming to thank you for…" I looked down at myself, my fingers gripping the fabric against my palms, "everything…" I finished, smiling shyly at him.

He nodded, his arm finally dropping to his side, "Need anything else?"

I bit my lip to think about it, but I couldn't help but notice the way his eyes glanced to my mouth when I did this but quickly averted back to my eyes. I had to wonder if his heart burst into a million butterflies like mine did in that moment, so before I could contemplate, I reached out my hand to place it over his heart. It appeared to be beating normally.

"I don't know why I'm still waiting…" I uttered meekly and I think I wanted nothing more than for Ferb to say _then stop waiting _or _you're too good to wait _or _I know the feeling _or…

But instead he grabbed my hand and then placed both our hands over my heart, "You need to figure out _what_ you're waiting for."

Oh…_oh shit…no, _not now! I felt those damn annoyances spring to my eyes and I'd never been so tired of crying that I felt like crying. My instincts wanted to yell _I'm waiting on Phineas, I've _always _been waiting on Phineas! _But other parts of me wanted to explain that I was waiting on _anyone _to help me forget _everything. _That's why I went out so much to find someone, but it always turned out to be the same thing over and over again; I was pathetically and dangerously cavorting with strangers because I was always too afraid of change from what I already knew.

That's why I was never able to tell Phineas how I felt about him, because I wanted, truly more than anything, for him to tell me he felt the same way about me. I wanted _him _to take that leap of faith and put _his _heart on the line, because…because I wanted him to decide my fate. But I wanted him to be in charge of my fate only if it matched what I wanted with one-hundred percent accuracy. Anything less would just…not do. It _simply wouldn't do! _

And I think that's what I wanted…for someone to _give _me what I wanted. Because I was nothing but a _coward _for all these years when I kept hoping that someday Phineas would open up his eyes and see that I was _the one_ for him.

But maybe…it was time to open my own eyes.

"Why can't I just be…I don't know what to do…" As I looked up at him, I knew that my eyes were full of questions and desperation, because I wanted him to give me all the answers.

He pushed my hair behind my ear and I watched as his eyes followed his hand's every move. But just as quickly as he did it, he took his hand back, "You need to figure that out…"

And then that feeling again…to hug him, to kiss him, to—God, to _everything _him! I tried to pinpoint exactly when I started to get these urges, because it seemed to come on so gradually it was like it was always there.

I stepped closer to him and put my hands on his shoulders. I felt all my weight get placed on my toes as I stretched myself to get closer to him and I was so close to kissing him that I could sense the tension building up and if only he'd just meet me half way…

But then he tilted his head back, his eyes toward the ceiling, and I saw and heard him inhale and exhale slowly and hesitantly. I closed my eyes as if that was shelter enough from the rejection and rested my forehead against his chest, "I'm sorry…"

"I told you to never be sorry…" he murmured and his British accent seemed thicker than I was used to and it made me shiver prominently.

"But you—," I gathered the courage to look up at him, glad that he found it in himself to look down at me as well. There was a glint in his eyes that took up every corner in my heart; I sensed that he wanted to kiss me, so…why wasn't he?

I wanted to throw all my doubts and worries out the window—I tried to talk myself into…into _what I wanted. _Ferb was not the kind of guy to make things awkward, right? My emotions got the best of me as I jumped up far enough to wrap my arms all the way around his neck; I could only scarcely feel my bare toes brush against the carpeted floor, but I let go of that feeling as soon as his hand pressed against the back of my head and his other arm came around my waist. The shirt I had on scrunched up to my thighs and I wondered if I should be concerned with my lack of undergarments.

"_You_ need to figure it out…" he said again, his accent floating like a dream in my ears.

I turned my face toward him and pressed my lips to his jawline. His fingers clenched my hair and it caused a jolt to burst through me. I was finally able to gain access to his lips and I didn't waste a single second before kissing him, my eyes fluttering closed when I felt him responding instantly.

It almost scared me how automatically addicting it was; it was like wanting to write a story for so long but never being able to find the words, but then finally, one day, there's this _surge_ of inspiration and this powerful greatness flows from your essence and creates your magnum opus.

I wanted to kiss him for as long as he'd let me, but it was becoming apparent that my lack of oxygen would win the race. I felt my feet slowly return to the ground, our lips separating mainly due to our height difference. As I opened my eyes, I breathed in a breath I didn't know I still had before releasing it very slowly. Ferb was staring at me with that intense gaze of his and I felt a hot blush rise up from my chest to my cheeks.

I folded in my lips as my fingers slipped from his shoulders, down to his arms, and to his hands. I stepped back until both of our arms were extended as far as they could go without parting, and I tried pulling him back toward me, but he got what I was hinting at (not that it was that difficult to figure out) and held his feet firm where he was.

I bit my lip again. I knew my hair was starting to air dry and become a wild mess; the shirt I was wearing was slipping off my right shoulder; all my attention was on him…if I looked half as wonderful as I felt in that moment, I was confident that he would—.

"I…we can't," he then said, which made my heart instantly plummet. He sensed this because he quickly added, "Let's do something tomorrow. It's officially summer now; we'll go to the beach." And with that, he pulled me back toward him in one motion and hugged me with his signature embrace, but this time, he gingerly kissed my forehead, his lips lingering long enough for me to bask in the sensation. I felt him mouth _goodnight _against my skin before letting me go and exiting the room so fast, it was like the last ten minutes were nothing but a dream.

I grinned but then it turned into a frown and a grimace then back into a grin. I had so many thoughts running through my mind that I couldn't settle on what exactly I was feeling. I shuffled my way to the bed and slipped under the cool covers. I then heard a vibrating sound coming from my pile of clothes and reached down to find my phone in my jeans.

My eyes narrowed when I saw it was a message from Scarlett:

_We need to talk._

So she wanted to confront me about what happened tonight—_last night—_huh? Interesting. I wondered if her and Phineas ended up having a long conversation about it; from what I remembered from Ferb's conversation with him earlier, I didn't doubt it.

But then my heart froze. _What if Phineas knew? _Did he figure it out? Was that why he was calling Ferb at one in the morning and causing Scarlett to text me at—I looked at the time on my phone—two-thirty in the morning?

_Oh God _and what if Phineas…and I just kissed his brother…and _damn it all _why couldn't I just have a moment of blissfulness without all these other factors coming into play? And I realized…and, I mean, I basically _knew _before…that _this _was why Ferb said we couldn't. Because I was still in love with Phineas and _still _waiting.

Always waiting.


End file.
